"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain." The author goes on to say, "What does it mean for the Lord to build the house? It almost seems a contradiction when we consider that we might be the builders in this passage. God wants us to allow Him to build the house. He explains further: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat. For He grants sleep to those He loves ‘(Psalm 127:1-2). God is telling us there is a way of working without striving . There is a way to conduct business without sweating and toiling for outcome. His warning to each of us is thinking that the outcome is based on our sweat and toil. Outcome is based on obedience. The outcome is sometimes more than we deserve. Sometimes it is less than we hoped for. His desire for each of us is to see Him working in our daily work life. He wants us to avoid looking to our own effort to gain an outcome. One day Jesus called out to Peter from the shore of the lake and suggested he throw his net on the other side of the boat. It was this simple act of obedience that yielded a tremendous catch that he would not have received unless he obeyed. We are called to work; He is called to bring forth the fruit. He is the vine. We are the branches. Fruit comes forth naturally from a healthy tree. Today, ask God to show you when you enter into striving. Ask Him to show you the difference between loving trust and obedience and striving for outcome. It can be challenging for us to balance this in our daily work experience. He wants to help us walk in this freedom and rest."
As I contemplate this devotional, I think about the University and all that it means; the lives that are formed for God's service, the young people who are transformed by the words they hear about God and service to Him, the impact both present and future in Haiti and beyond. I want more than anything else to do my part to see this work prosper and go forth to accomplish great things for the Lord. But when I consider the above passage I have to reconsider how much of myself I put into this effort versus how much I need to step back and let God do the work and be obedient to his commandments and to allow Him to manifest Himself in the outcomes. So what does this mean for all of us who love Ivah and Harold Heneise and this organization Haiti Hope Fund? How can we be most useful without striving on our own recognizance? Be obedient. Be the branches of His tree so we can see the fruit that only He can bring from our obedience and trust Him for the results. Let our obedience yield the fruit from our branches. Ask God to show us how to recognize when we are striving, and when we are obedient. And then let us turn our attention to our beloved work and consider what the Lord would have each one of us do. For some it might be prayer for the University; for some it might be giving of tithes and offerings; for some it might be volunteering of time; for some it might be a combination of things. Do prayerfully consider what God is telling you to do.