Tool Time

“Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.” Hebrews 3:4



God built us to build. We started with blocks as babies and soon grew into Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys. Sand piles were packed into sandcastles. Popsicle sticks were stacked into houses. Pillows became a fort, and a few chairs, a bed sheet, and a broom handle turned into a tent. A cabin in the woods was the next project for me and my siblings, but after felling several trees with a handsaw and constructing a bridge over the gulley, our enthusiasm waned and we settled for pine straw palaces. These days when I’m back at the homestead, my kids and their cousins stay busy building—clubhouses, hideouts, and an entire teepee town (complete with a bank for those needing to borrow funds) have been constructed.


When we build, we’re simply imitating our Maker, for “God is the builder of everything”(Hebrews 3:4). Galaxies, planets, and our own backyards were built by Him. All we can see was built by Him or out of stuff He has made. Both skyscrapers and sunsets remind us of His power and His provision, for “God is the builder of everything.”


Long after we put away our Lincoln Logs, we’re still busy building—careers, families, businesses, legacies, and reputations. Each day we awake at the construction site and reach for hard hats and hammers. Our words, actions, and attitudes are the raw materials God has given us to use for His glory, and He has unrolled the perfect plan. By grace, God has made us part of His ultimate building project—His church, His people, His family(Matt. 16:18), and He desires for all the structures of our lives to be built by obedient faith on the firm foundation of His word(Matt. 7:24-27).


Energy and effort spent building any other way is useless. “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain”(Ps. 127:1). Nothing goes up unless He allows it, and nothing stays up unless He is in it. Our own attempts at success and significance lie in rubble until God raises us up and builds something beautiful.


Right now Jesus is busy building our forever home in heaven (“In my Father’s house are many rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2), and through His Spirit and His children He is busy building His people here on earth. Be careful how you build and what you build. Don’t settle for pine straw palaces that will blow away in the wind. God wants to build what will last, and He’s the expert on hammers and nails.