Building a Life Centered on God
Summary
### Summary
This morning, we reflect on the life we are living and whether God is at the center of it. Solomon, in his wisdom, provides three prohibitions to guide us in building our lives for God rather than for ourselves. The first is to not overestimate the part we play. We often believe we can accomplish things on our own, but Solomon reminds us that unless the Lord is in it, our efforts are in vain. This applies to both the grand and mundane aspects of life. Jesus emphasized that without Him, we can do nothing. We must recognize our finiteness and frailty and acknowledge that God is the one who sustains us.
The second prohibition is to not overdo it at work. We need to evaluate our lives by asking how we plan, practice, and pray. Are our plans centered around our own capabilities, or do we seek God's will? Are we living life for our own accomplishments, or are we seeking what God wants for us? Our prayer life is a reflection of our dependence on God. When we acknowledge that we can't do it on our own, we turn to God for wisdom and guidance.
The third prohibition is to not overlook our families. Solomon emphasizes the importance of including our families in what we are building. Children are a heritage from the Lord, and we have a responsibility to straighten, sharpen, set in the right direction, and eventually shoot them off into the world. This process requires patience, humility, and a commitment to God's ways.
In conclusion, we are reminded that God never intended for us to live and labor on our own. Jesus came to model a life of obedience and reliance on God. By turning to Jesus, we find rest and true life as God created us to live—in relationship with Him.
### Key Takeaways
1. Do Not Overestimate Your Role: We often believe we can achieve things on our own, but Solomon reminds us that without God, our efforts are in vain. This applies to both significant and mundane tasks. Recognizing our dependence on God is crucial for a life that is not lived in vain. [01:37]
2. Evaluate Your Planning, Practice, and Prayer: How we plan, practice, and pray reveals whether we are building our own kingdom or God's. Planning should involve seeking God's will, practicing should align with God's purpose, and prayer should reflect our dependence on Him. [08:04]
3. Balance Ambition and Anxiety: Unhealthy ambition and anxiety are signs of trying to build our own kingdom. Ambition says, "I can do it on my own," while anxiety says, "I don't know if God can do it." Both are out of character for a believer. Trusting God allows us to find rest and balance. [12:36]
4. Include Your Family in Your Building: Solomon emphasizes the importance of not overlooking our families. Children are a heritage from the Lord, and we have a responsibility to guide them. This involves straightening, sharpening, setting in the right direction, and eventually shooting them off into the world. [18:48]
5. Turn to Jesus for Rest and True Life: God never intended for us to live and labor on our own. Jesus came to model a life of obedience and reliance on God. By turning to Jesus, we find rest and true life as God created us to live—in relationship with Him. [32:09]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:37] - Who's Building Your House?
[03:10] - The Great Dichotomy
[04:53] - God's Sustaining Power
[06:20] - Recognizing Our Frailty
[08:04] - Evaluating Your Life
[09:38] - Living with God's Purpose
[11:07] - The Vain Labor
[12:36] - Ambition and Anxiety
[14:08] - Personal Reflection
[15:39] - God's Love and Our Trust
[17:09] - Working Smarter, Not Harder
[18:48] - The Importance of Family
[20:32] - Building a Heritage
[23:35] - Straightening and Sharpening Arrows
[26:28] - Setting the Right Direction
[29:05] - Shooting Off the Children
[30:19] - Living with God at the Center
[31:18] - Jesus, Our Model and Rest
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Psalm 127:1-2 (ESV) - "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."
2. James 4:13-15 (ESV) - "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"
3. Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) - "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to Psalm 127:1-2, what is the result of building or laboring without the Lord? How does this relate to the sermon’s message about overestimating our role? [01:37]
2. In James 4:13-15, what does James say about making plans without considering God's will? How does this align with the sermon’s point about evaluating our planning, practice, and prayer? [08:04]
3. What does Proverbs 22:6 suggest about the long-term impact of training a child? How does this connect to the sermon’s emphasis on including our families in what we are building? [18:48]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does the sermon emphasize the importance of not overestimating our role in our accomplishments? How does this perspective change our daily activities and mindset? [03:10]
2. How can the way we plan, practice, and pray reveal whether we are building our own kingdom or God's? What practical steps can we take to ensure our plans align with God's will? [08:04]
3. The sermon mentions balancing ambition and anxiety. How can trusting God help us find this balance, and what are the signs that we might be leaning too much on our own efforts? [12:36]
4. How does the analogy of children as arrows in Psalm 127:3-5 help us understand our responsibilities towards our families? What does it mean to straighten, sharpen, set in the right direction, and shoot off our children? [18:48]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your past week. Were there moments when you overestimated your role in your accomplishments? How can you remind yourself daily of your dependence on God? [01:37]
2. Evaluate your current planning process. Do you seek God's will in your plans, or do you rely on your own capabilities? What changes can you make to include God more in your planning? [08:04]
3. Think about your work habits. Are you experiencing unhealthy ambition or anxiety? How can you trust God more with your work and find rest in Him? [12:36]
4. How are you currently involving your family in what you are building? Are there areas where you might be neglecting them? What steps can you take to ensure your family is included in your spiritual and practical endeavors? [18:48]
5. Consider the analogy of children as arrows. Are you actively working to straighten, sharpen, set in the right direction, and eventually shoot off your children? What specific actions can you take this week to invest in your children's spiritual growth? [18:48]
6. Reflect on your prayer life. How often do you turn to God for wisdom and guidance? What can you do to make prayer a more integral part of your daily routine? [09:38]
7. Jesus modeled a life of obedience and reliance on God. How can you follow His example in your daily life? What specific areas do you need to surrender to God to find true rest and life as He intended? [32:09]
Devotional
Day 1: Recognize Your Dependence on God
We often believe we can achieve things on our own, but Solomon reminds us that without God, our efforts are in vain. This applies to both significant and mundane tasks. Recognizing our dependence on God is crucial for a life that is not lived in vain. Solomon's wisdom teaches us to not overestimate our role in our accomplishments. Jesus also emphasized that without Him, we can do nothing. This understanding should lead us to a posture of humility and reliance on God in all aspects of our lives, acknowledging that He is the one who sustains us. [01:37]
Psalm 127:1-2 (ESV): "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."
Reflection: Think of a recent project or task you undertook. How can you acknowledge God's role in its success and seek His guidance for future endeavors?
Day 2: Align Your Plans with God's Will
How we plan, practice, and pray reveals whether we are building our own kingdom or God's. Planning should involve seeking God's will, practicing should align with God's purpose, and prayer should reflect our dependence on Him. Evaluating our lives through these lenses helps us to ensure that our ambitions are not self-centered but are in line with God's desires for us. This evaluation requires us to be honest about our motivations and to seek God's wisdom in all our decisions. [08:04]
Proverbs 16:3 (ESV): "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
Reflection: Take a moment to review your current plans and goals. Are they centered around your own capabilities, or do they seek to fulfill God's will? How can you adjust them to better align with His purpose?
Day 3: Trust God to Balance Your Ambition and Anxiety
Unhealthy ambition and anxiety are signs of trying to build our own kingdom. Ambition says, "I can do it on my own," while anxiety says, "I don't know if God can do it." Both are out of character for a believer. Trusting God allows us to find rest and balance. When we trust in God's sovereignty and goodness, we can let go of the need to control everything and rest in His provision and timing. This trust is built through a relationship with God, where we continually turn to Him in prayer and rely on His promises. [12:36]
Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV): "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Reflection: Identify an area of your life where you feel anxious or overly ambitious. How can you surrender this area to God and trust Him to provide and guide you?
Day 4: Invest in Your Family's Spiritual Growth
Solomon emphasizes the importance of not overlooking our families. Children are a heritage from the Lord, and we have a responsibility to guide them. This involves straightening, sharpening, setting in the right direction, and eventually shooting them off into the world. Investing in our family's spiritual growth requires patience, humility, and a commitment to God's ways. It means being intentional about teaching and modeling God's principles in our daily lives and creating an environment where faith can flourish. [18:48]
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV): "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."
Reflection: Consider how you are currently investing in your family's spiritual growth. What is one practical step you can take this week to guide and nurture their faith?
Day 5: Find Rest and True Life in Jesus
God never intended for us to live and labor on our own. Jesus came to model a life of obedience and reliance on God. By turning to Jesus, we find rest and true life as God created us to live—in relationship with Him. Jesus invites us to come to Him with our burdens and find rest for our souls. This rest is not just physical but a deep, spiritual rest that comes from knowing we are loved and cared for by our Creator. Embracing this relationship with Jesus transforms our lives and gives us the strength and peace to face each day. [32:09]
Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV): "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Reflection: Reflect on an area of your life where you feel burdened or weary. How can you turn to Jesus and find rest and renewal in Him today?
Quotes
1. "What type of life am I living? Look back at your week and ask the question, was it a life that was centered on myself or is it centered on a savior? Was my work, was my play, was my occupation, was my community life, was it for me? Or was it for the kingdom that God is wanting to build in and through me?" [01:37] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "The problem is we think we can live this life and do this life on our own. We look at the house that we're keeping. We look at the family that we're providing for. We go to our jobs and look at all the things that we're accomplishing and we say, look at all that I have done. But notice, three times he's going to say that we do things in vain unless the Lord's in it." [03:10] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "We need to recognize we are finite and we are frail. And so when we start having these grandiose thoughts, look at what I've done, we need to recognize if it weren't for God, we would have nothing. Amen? We got to start there. And we have to live there. And we have to be different than the world because the world says, look at what I did. Look at what I've accomplished. Look at what I've amassed. And the Christian says, no, unless God is in it, we're lost." [06:20] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "How do you plan? Do you plan looking at your calendar, looking at your strength, looking at your bank account? Or do you plan with James 4 in mind? That says if the Lord wills, if the Lord's in it, then we'll do this, then we'll do that. Far too many of us plan our weeks, plan our months, plan our years with only us in mind. Instead of asking God, are you in it?" [08:04] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "If I wasn't in this book this week, I was living a week in vain. Because my creator, God, created me for a purpose. And he said, your purpose is found in this book. Saturate yourself. Meditate day and night on this book. And this book will show you the kind of life that I want you to live. And if we're not a part of this, then we are taking in not God's direction for our life, but the world's perspective of life, which says it's all about you." [09:38] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "You want to know what puts a person to sleep? The recognition that I have done all that I can in building God's kingdom. Here on earth, and I leave the results to him. And so let me just be honest with you. Whether it's a record sale this year in business, or at church, or it's a year of difficulty and hardship, here's the truth that we need to know. In our families, and in our workplaces, and in our communities, God's still in it." [17:09] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "Invite God into your life. Invite God into your plans. Invite God into your daily practices. Make him the kingdom that you're building in this life. And God says, I'll meet you there. I'll show up there. And I'll be with you in times of prosperous, growth, and I'll be with you in times of poverty. You don't worry about it. I've got you in my hands. You'll be able to sleep." [18:48] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "What he reminds us as families is the legacy, the heritage we have is in our children. That's what we need to be building. That's what we need to be growing. That's what we need to be investing our time in. And he says these gifts, these things are like arrows. See, in the text it says they are to be like arrows. In the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth." [20:32] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "We think about arrows, and we think about going to the sporting goods store and buying an arrow. And we go to that store, and it's a perfectly straight arrow. It's ready to go. It's plug and play. But arrows in Solomon's day were branches. They were off of trees. And they came out, and they were crooked. And what you need to understand is that there was a process of taking a crooked branch and making it straight to be an arrow." [21:57] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "You start living life with God at the center. And you start living with God as your priority. And you stop building this life on your own. And you start building it for him and his glory. And God says, not only will you sleep like a baby, but your arrows will shoot as faithful as they need to. And that's good enough for me. With that as a truth, I'll put my faith, I'll put my hope in God's hands." [29:39] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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