What Are You Building On?

“O Lord, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭90:13-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The psalmist expresses his desire for the presence and blessing of God to return to the land. He longs for God days to return!! Yes, I said that correctly. Ponder on that a moment. True goodness comes from God. Without the presence of God the blessing is removed. God is omnipresent. This means that He is everywhere. There is no place we can go that His presence cannot be known. However, when we walk in rebellion against Him we separate ourselves from His fellowship and the accompanying favor and blessing that come from walking in union with Him. When we, as individuals, families, churches, communities, cities, counties, states, and countries, ignore His Lordship we suffer the consequences of our actions. Good days come from the hand of God! Let's not wait until we are in destitution and desperation before we recognize where we are in our relationship with God. When things are good, it is easy to become comfortable and complacent. In these moments, we tend to stray because of our proneness to carnal things. When we stray from Him and walk in our own ways, it is just a matter of time before we meet the consequences of that way of life. Only when we walk in obedience to the Person and presence of the Holy Spirit can we walk in obedience and in unity with God. There we find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is the fruit of God that is manifested to, and through, us by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). This is the epitome of success. Our efforts will be blessed when they are beneath the loving Lordship of Jesus Christ. Let's take a quick moment to consider success. What is it? Some think success is a good education, a good job, a nice home, a fine vehicle, and a healthy family. This is a form of temporary success but, without God at the center, it will be short lived and ultimately come to an end. Building anything without a proper foundation is foolish. “Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ No matter what "accomplishments" we may achieve in life, if we don't have Jesus at the center, it is utterly futile. True success is building one's life upon the person and principles of Almighty God! Consider these few verses:
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭26:5‬ ‭NLT “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:24-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What are you building on?