Doing Great Things 'for' God

[Ramez5]

“Thus says the Lord:“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.”
Isaiah 66:1-2

Have you ever been to a real cathedral in Europe? I have--in Cologne, Germany. It was beyond words. Trying to grasp the magnitude of the Cologne Cathedral is more difficult than mentally taking in the Grand Canyon. The size is massive and the amount of years it took (around 300 years) mind-boggling. I can only imagine how much it must have cost.

According to Wikipedia... The Cologne cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires and largest facade of any church in the world.

But reading this scripture in Isaiah today made me realize that the Lord doesn’t really need us to build big buildings for him. Nothing we can build.. would be a suitable house for him. After all, He's God.

He wants us to be smaller in our eyes and to be better lovers of Him. He truly is a very personal God.


I am such a project person so it's natural for me to feel the need to 'do' something for God. Service is sort of my 'love language' as Gary Smalley describes in The Language of Love.

The problem is that 'doing' can get in the way of 'being'. In fact, it can also get in the way of true fellowship and relationship.

Martha had the same problem I think. Many of us have that problem.

I'm so grateful the Lord shared that story for us.. of Martha and Mary so I would remember that serving Him is great. It's great to 'show' our love for Him by our actions. In fact it's critical that we show our love by obeying.


But He doesn't 'need' us to do 'big things' for him. He doesn't need us to build buildings or blow away the world with our amazing projects 'for God'. If we are faithful in the little things.. in the end we will realize we've been faithful in the 'big' things. Luke 10:16

It's our hearts and lives and our personal obedience that matter to Him.

If you want to show you love the Lord.. seek Him first. Learn humility--die to yourself.. and really.. just bury yourself. Repent of the things He reveals as sin and do all you can to carefully and faithfully obey Him. Love his Word and strive to live by it.

And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple --I assure you: He will never lose his reward!" Matt. 10:42

This is what He longs for from His children. May we do well in little ways Lord!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for bringing this up to me today! Help us to quiet our souls.. and sit at your feet. Help us bury those 'visions of grandeur'.. that come cloaked as 'service for you'. Show us our true condition.. and help us to repent--and to be ever watchful to love you and obey your' every wish. Let your word be our lifeline from day to day and moment by moment. Amen