NOT IN VAIN

Dining with Jesus Christian Episodes

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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I am a planner. I look at all that I believe needs to be done, and I make lists of priorities that I believe will provide the best chance of success. I try to communicate these goals to those around me so that we can all be aligned in our work and working together to do more together than we can apart. I have been like this my whole life and I do not imagine that I will be seeking to change any time soon. 

And yet, even with all of my effort, all my imagination, and all of energies aimed at bringing about what I believe to be the right results, I know from hard earned experience that none of my ideas will amount to anything of any value unless I allow the Lord to lead me. 

This idea was given eloquently in the passage that follows:

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

(Psalms 127:1 NIV11)

Sense

I love this passage because it makes sense to me.

If the Lord wants to build the house, then the workers will find success. 

If the Lord wants the city to be safe, then the guards will successfully discharge their duties. 

In both situations, we see people like you and me doing the work that they believe to be best. The workers believe that they are doing right by going to work and using their God-given strength and talents for the goal of building the house. The guards believe that they are doing right by seeking to provide a defense for their city. 

Again, in both situations, the difference between success and failure is not the skill or the effort of the people involved; it is the will of the Lord that gives success to the efforts of mankind. 

My Life

I get this because it is easy to apply to my life and my situation. 

I am doing what I believe to be right and best for my life and for the lives that are under my care. In order to do the work that I believe to be essential, I must plan, prepare, organize, communicate, and ultimately take all needed action. 

But my efforts are not a guarantee of success. There is a vital truth in this passage that affects everything I do in my life. I need to commit my plans and my efforts to the Lord and trust the Lord to do with my life and my efforts whatever the Lord finds to be best. 

If the Lord is allowed to lead in my efforts and in my work, then the success that the Lord brings into my life, and through my work, is for the glory of God and therefore of even greater value than whatever I had hoped to accomplish on my own. 

Confused?

At this point, I imagine a few of you might be thinking that I am talking in circles and not making sense. That is possible. 

But let’s read this message from Jesus Christ and listen for any connections to the truth being taught in Psalm 127:

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

(Matthew 6:33-34 NIV11)

Priority

Jesus Christ calls the willing to seek the Lord, to seek his kingdom, and to seek the glory and righteousness of the Lord as a matter of priority. 

If we take the Lord at his word, then the things we are working toward and hoping for will be supplied by the Lord in the right time and in the right way. If we allow the Lord to be our leader and our guide, he will lead us into eternal success. 

Application

As you contemplate these passages today, consider the work that lies before you. 

  •   What would it look like to have the Lord be the leader in your work today?
  •   How different might the results of your efforts be today if you dedicate all that you do, all that you seek to accomplish to the Lord before you go into battle or build that house?

Point

This is the point of this teaching for me. 

I am being called to invite the Lord into all of my work, all of my plans, all of my hopes and fears, and trust the Lord to lead and guide as I take each step that lies before me. 

  •   Perhaps you would be willing to commit your plans and efforts to the Lord in a time of prayer right now?

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Senior Pastor at PARK HILL BAPTIST CHURCH


Worked at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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