PSALMS OF ASCENT!

PSALM 127:1-2

Unless
UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS THE HOUSE, ITS BUILDERS LABOUR 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 EATFOR HE GRANTS SLEEP TO THOSE HE LOVES. (PSALMS 127:12 NIV)
DEMAND
Do we demand to be rewarded? By our boss, by our spouse, even by God? The entitlement culture is powerful - and dangerous. What would you think of someone who turned up at Buckingham Palace demanding an OBE? Or a woman who arrived at the Nobel awards demanding a prize. Or a man who gatecrashed the oscar ceremony demanding an Oscar? We would rightly say that these people were proud, arrogant and vulgar. But before we are too quick to condemn, do we have our won demands? We are a people who like to be in control - even disallowing God the proper and healthy control of our lives and destiny. Babel is an exc ellen t example of a great endeavour frustrated by God, see Genesis 11:1-9. Have a read of this passage and ask yourself if this is not a temptation for you too?

WORK
The goal is not to do no work, but to do it without a sinful dependence on self. We must avoid the mistakes of Babel (work which ended in confusion) and the Pharisees (work which ended in hypocritical self-righteousness). But there is work for Christians to do, We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. (2 Thessalonians 3:1113 NIV) Work is good (it must be if God does it - the Lord is a builder, of course - see the creation account in Genesis), but not anxious work. We are to imitate Gods work in that His work was an outow of love. We are not working for ourselves, but in honour of God who made us, and out of love for Him and for the benet of other people.

ATTITUDE
Psalm 127 reminds us our attitude to work is more important than the work itself. Do we care more about our work and possessions than the one who gave us strength to work? We are not called to be workaholics or dropouts. Society sees such habits as admirable, but we see this as signs of weak faith and pride. There is a huge contrast between a fruitless strain that comes from a desire for selfreward as opposed to the relaxed but focussed work that characterises someone working for the Lord: Col 3:22. Jesus had a hard life (Luke 4:2, 9:58, John 4:6), but he worked under Gods peace. God gives sleep to people because He loves them, not because they work hard. If we are not seeing a good return for our work the solution may not be to work harder - but to work spiritually.

Malcolm Cox, email: malcolm.cox@iccmissions.org | ICC Missions on facebook | www.nwlcc.org