Psalm 127:1 - December 5, 2009

Ps 127:1 “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Are you doing what the Lord is doing? Psalm 127:1 calls us to examine the foundation of how we are spending our lives. Hard work alone isn’t enough to make a life fruitful and meaningful and even the greatest goals are a vain use of time unless we have aligned our life purpose with God’s life purpose. God is at work constantly and abundantly. There is no shortage of God’s desire seeking to bring forth the kingdom of God in the earth. But much energy and resource is directed towards human rationale rather than being divinely directed.

The life of Jesus is the model of productivity in the context of divine inspiration. The Apostle John wrote of the great measure of Jesus’ fruitfulness and good works in John 21:25 “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” He accomplished more in his three and a half years of ministry than most people accomplish in a lifetime. Sooo what was the secret of His productivity and the quality of His fruit. He tells us the nature of His ministry in John 5:19-20 "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” Jesus lived in the power of Psalm 127:1! He lived a life of revelation.

As we consider the importance of the Lord building the house, the Lord being the author and initiator of the work that we put our hands to there is a foundation of revelation and intimacy that makes all of this possible. Jesus was incredibly fruitful because He lived before the Father. In John 8:38 Jesus speaks of this intimate, presence driven ministry when He confronts the Pharisees, “I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence…” He saw and He spoke, He saw and he acted! Through this deep intimacy it was the Father performing His works through the life of Jesus.

In the same way the Apostle spoke of his personal life and ministry by saying in Gal 2:20-21 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Paul’s entire life flowed out of faith in the Son of God! It was no longer him living according to his own desires. Every decision flowed out of a yielded spirit. When we place ourselves in the hands of God and seek to live as an expression of His divine desires fruitfulness flourishes.