A City Built by God’s Own Hands
Good Morning Friends,
The destruction of Jerusalem, the fall of Rome, the dismantling of Detroit, were all pretty traumatic events in the history of those places. The demise of certain churches in Holy History follows a similar path. But the Bible tells us that this dynamic of people and place all pales in comparison to the final destruction and the ultimate building of God’s City for God’s people. It is interesting that the societies behind the building of earthly cities seek to do good, just as the church strives to do good, but that in the grand design of God’s plan fall short for a lack of justice and love somewhere else.
The vacant cities of China are an example of this reality. You see, humans must not only strive to purse an order that allows for peace, but actually succeed in the proper and just sharing of resources. Our current structures and engineering practices focus resources for a while in our building but even then chaos seems to destroy these dreams as it did the dreams of pharaohs. Friends, if we are to believe the Bible, heaven’s future on earth may not so much depend on the work of man building cities as it depends on the body of Christ brought into holy union in A City Built by God’s Own Hands.
Scripture: But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NRSV)
For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:10 (NRSV)
For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.
1 Corinthians 3:9-10 (NRSV)
Message: In the beginning, God created a perfect world by a series of verbal commands; every result was good and pure and beautiful. Even after the fall and the curse, creation has retained a beauty that reflects the majestic artistry and mind-boggling engineering skills of its Creator. Just look up to the night sky and remember how God showed Abraham the stars in their splendor as a sign and promise to have faith. Today, because of sin and death, and all its decay, things fade, things die, it all returns to dust, like grains of sand on a beach. But the Holy City described in Revelation will be different from Genesis. Here the Lord takes His time to design and build by His own hand, preparing mansions for each of us, even as He now works in and through us for His purposes…to His glory.
Pray God’s City reveals the heart, the genius, and the power of God, the love of Jesus for His church. Pray our soul’s reward is discovered in part even now as we glorify God by working together with all our heart, mind and soul, in a unique relationship with in the Body of Christ…for the Master Builder of our faith. Pray for all who build their faith upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Pray we never shortchange God when it comes to the materials used in the building of His Temple in us. Pray that when our work is inspected it will have the mark of the Master architect.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 