Before You Build

God is a God of order. He wants you to see from His perspective before you perform your daily tasks so you can see how to best build others up.

“The people came together as one in Jerusalem. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation...On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD’s temple had not yet been laid. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy." ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭13

Ezra deliberately detailed the order in which the people returning from exile began to rebuild their community. Multiple times, he wrote about the timing of the events. Remember that they were returning to a land that had been destroyed. So what did they do first? What was a holy order of operations? They built an altar. Before they laid the foundation, they made a place to praise the Lord. Before they raised the walls, they restored a place of worship. The text said they had every reason to be afraid. But instead of fear, they chose faith. They built an altar and gave burnt offerings on the first of the month.

On the day the foundation was laid, the people standing in the same place had drastically different responses. Some wept for joy at the restoration, while others wept remembering what was lost. The order in which they approached the event impacted how they experienced God. Think of how different their process was from our process today. How many of us want to get everything right in our own lives before we gather in community or go to God? The returning exiles gathered as one body and praised before their prayers were answered. They did not wait for their circumstances to improve before they celebrated God.

Do you have your love in order? The people gathered as one, not as individuals with individual agendas. Will you, by faith, trust God with your firstfruits at the beginning of the month, make more room for His presence while you are in the middle of something difficult, and devote yourself to following Him, believing He has good plans for you? Or do you want things your way, in your timing, and spend time thinking about the former temples? Are you full of excitement about what God will do or frustrated by what He has not done that you wanted? The order of your life matters.

“Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right. He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them. Then they believed his promises and sang his praise...They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull...They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD. But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked. This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭106‬:‭1‬-‭48

David follows a similar pattern as the exiles. He begins with praise and thanksgiving. He sang the same refrain that God is good and His love endures forever. Is that what you believe? Why does it matter that we begin and end each day by thanking God and believing that His goodness radiates through all that we will go through?

The truth is, starting with gratitude changes our perspective. Some people start each day thinking about what they do not have or dwelling on all that has gone or could go wrong. David said that even after God redeemed them, some people exchanged worshiping God for worshiping idols, and they grumbled in their tents. Are you a grumbler? Do you complain a lot? How is that working out for you? Does it ever help to grumble? The text says some were bent on rebellion and wasted away in their sin. The Bible says it is a sin to grumble and complain.

Some people choose the way that leads to life. They say thank you and trust God will make a way for things to work out. They say to themselves that the God who did it before will do it again. They think about how God's past faithfulness can build belief in His future promises. They speak words of life and bring hope to others. The faithful stand in the gap when things have gone wrong. They look to see how they can help, give, and serve like Phinehas. Same people, different responses. One has joy. One weeps.

God is a God of order. He wants to teach us that following the way of love begins by building our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ. He is the One who redeemed us, so everything we do is in response to what He did for us. He is the God who works before us, beside us, and behind us. We live as people who have already been blessed and seek to do what is just and right in response to love received. Make no mistake. We did not make the first move. Jesus did.

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine...Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession? ‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬-12

See the order. Before the bride goes out into a busy world, she starts from a place of belonging. She says, I am his and he is mine. What would happen if we took the same approach? In the morning, before we went to work, school, or other responsibilities, what if we started by speaking God's truth over our lives? He says we are His and He is ours. Before He calls us to live boldly, He promises to be with us. Will you take the time today, at the beginning and the end and as often as possible, to remind yourself that you belong to Jesus? You are His and He is yours.

The text asks the question: Is there ever a time in the day that we cannot see a sign of God's faithfulness and abiding presence? In the morning dawn, we can see His light come. When the sky is brightest, we can know that it is His light lighting up our day. When the night has come, He has set the stars and the moon as reminders that He has ordered the heavens and the earth. Each is a reminder of the sovereignty, authority, and ordered nature of creation. Each is a reminder to sing. Will you take time today to admire God? Will you see His hand in the sun, moon, and stars?

“Son of man, take up a lament concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt...I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light...Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt...along with those who go down to the pit. All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword...They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit... They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭32‬:‭2‬, ‭7‬-‭30

What happens if you do not choose Jesus? What is life like after death? The Bible has many references to the pit. None of them are pretty. Each time, the description is of a place of absolute darkness where the sun, stars, and moon no longer give light. What an interesting contrast to what we saw love produce in Song of Songs.

The promise of heaven and the pain of the pit are both meant to help us order our lives in the present moment. The afterlife will never be a source of fear for those who see the light, but it serves as a reminder that it is important to get the order of our lives right. God tells the prophet Ezekiel to take up a lament. We should care what happens to other people. Setting your love in order involves looking beyond what is happening in our own lives. Is there anyone in your life who is heading in the wrong direction? Will you take time to pray for them?

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy... the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort...excel in those that build up the church. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-40

God is a God of peace and order. Paul challenges us to understand that God is to be the center of our lives and that His attributes should impact how we approach life. He invites us to begin each day with praise so we can order our lives by His love. The people in Ezra began with worship before they worked because they were so thankful to be back living in the promised land. They praised God while the work was still unfinished because they believed that the God who brought them back would build them up. What would your life be like if you started and ended each day with praise and thanksgiving? Are you willing to try? Take on a seven-day challenge of saying thank you. Write down what He has done and share your story.

When we put God first, everything will find its proper place. As Christians living in contemporary times, Jesus is our foundation. He told us to make Him the axis around which we orient all of our lives. He is our Lord. We concede control and give Him the authority to order our lives according to what is most honoring to Him and helpful to others. Take time to consider where your life may be out of balance or out of order. Is there anywhere you do not feel at peace? Perhaps it would be good to bring that area of your life to Him.

Always start from a place of belonging. We belong to Him and we are His. After you remember that you belong, look to build. Look around at who needs an encouraging word or an act of comfort. In our world, it is not hard to see that some are celebrating while others are weeping. Meet people where they are and help bring them hope. Jesus calls us to love them all. His Spirit gives us the strength to stand in the gap, pray for others, speak words of life, and help people experience the love of God.

If you forget everything else, do not forget to follow the way of love. Love restores, rebuilds, and redeems. Love rejoices with those who rejoice and mourns with those who mourn. Love looks up and out. Look for opportunities to strengthen, encourage, and comfort others. Let your words bring hope and your life become an offering of praise. Imagine what would happen if every person you encountered left you feeling more encouraged and more aware of the love of Jesus. This is the life God invites us to live. A life ordered by Jesus to love continually, strengthen others faithfully, and encourage at every opportunity.