Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "The Supreme Architect" for Friday, 26 September 2014 - Read Matthew 7:24-27

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "The Supreme Architect" for Friday, 26 September 2014 - Read Matthew 7:24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
Unless it is the Lord who builds the house, the builders’ work is pointless.(Psalm 127:1 (CEB))
I have been an architect for over 50 years. When designing a home for a client, an architect considers the big picture: a client’s needs and lifestyle, as well as aesthetics, climate, topography, durability, cost, and a host of other issues. Enthusiastic clients often approach me with glossy magazines in hand and tell me they know “exactly what they want.”My function is simply to “put it on paper.”For example, if the magazine displays a luxury home on a level site, while the client, on a tight budget, wishes to build on the vineyard slopes of Cape Town, I consider the big picture and refuse the job. Wiser clients ask if we can work as a team to interpret their dreams and needs. Then, the results often exceed their expectations.
We are part of a team, all members of the body of Christ. But so often we approach God in prayer, already knowing exactly what we want and enthusiastically pursuing our own dreams, desires, and plans. Yet, when we work with God to interpret our dreams and needs, the results will exceed our expectations.
The Author: Keith Honeyman (Western Cape, South Africa)
Thought for the Day: God’s dreams for us exceed our best expectations.
Prayer: Dear God, grant us the vision to fulfill our dreams in ways that honor you and bring glory to your kingdom. Amen.
Prayer focus: Architects
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