7 Reasons to Build Something Great for God
March 2, 2020
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I have been preaching for more than 40 years, and my calling to become a preacher goes all the way back to the ninth grade. I went forward during the altar call at my father’s church. I told my dad that I wanted to lead a “great church” someday — not just any church, but a great church. Why would I, or anyone else, want to build something great for God? I’m going to share seven reasons why this has been my life’s mission, and how you can build something great for the Lord with whatever He has placed in your hands.
1. God is worthy of our best.
In Malachi 1:6-8, God’s people broke His covenant by offering blemished sacrifices back to Him. Imagine if your mother gave you an orange tree that produced delicious, juicy oranges. Once that tree was mature, she asked you for a few. You obliged, but you gave her all the bruised, half-rotten ones. How would that make her feel—she, being the one who not only gave you the orange tree, but also gave you life? God has given us everything we have, and sometimes we give Him back our leftovers, our worse, or nothing at all. God is worthy of our best.
2. God has done great things for us.
James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God has done so much for us. He has given us life, health, the ability to work and to enjoy our free time. He has given you your family, your freedom, your job, food to eat, and clean water to drink every day. On top of all this, God gave you the ultimate gift of His Son Jesus, who died for your sins (John 3:16). The Lord has done great things for us, which should lead us to want to do great things for Him.
3. God doesn’t want us to be lukewarm about anything.
In Revelation 3:15-16, God says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” God wants us to be on fire for Him—passionate for His holy character; the Bible, His Word; His heart to serve the poor, the sick, widows, and orphans; and His command to share the Good News about the hope and eternal life available through His Son, Jesus.
4. To whom much has given much is required.
We must always ask ourselves, “What am I doing with the blessings—the time, talents, and treasure—that God has given me? Am I using it to serve Him and to bless others?” Luke 12:48b says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
5. I never want to be outworked by the devil.
Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” And 1 Peter 5:8 describes the devil as a prowling, roaring lion who is looking for someone to devour. Satan is working overtime to destroy lives and spread darkness. I never ever want to be outworked by him, so I must keep building and working so that my life and faith will glorify God (Romans 4:18-21; 1 Peter 4:11).
6. If others will build upon our foundation, then let’s build a great foundation.
King David was not God’s chosen vessel to build His temple. But 1 Chronicles 29:1-5, we see the incredible contributions David gave for the building of God’ temple—gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, and more. Then he says in verse five, “Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?” This challenges us to ask ourselves what we are willing to give back to God. Even if we don’t get credit. Even if someone else comes along and builds upon what we have built (as David’s son, Solomon, ended up doing), it’s all for God’s glory.
7. The greater the light the more the darkness disappears.
In John 8:12, Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Then in John 12:46, He declared, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” When we work for the light, darkness diminishes more and more. And that is a very good reason to build our lives for God.
It’s these little steps of faith—the small decisions we make each and every day—that accumulate, brick by brick, until at the end of your life you look back and see that you have built a great life for God’s glory.
Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of “Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith” (available on Amazon) and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area—Porter Ranch, Woodland Hills, and Agua Dulce. You can connect with Dudley at www.LiftUpJesus.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
