When you read the title of this post, straight off you are probably convicted like when any pastor preaches on witnessing, your prayer life, your quiet times... he will probably have an altar call that looks like 5 minutes before door opening on Black Friday. But that's not what I am getting at here. Doing things for God may not actually be what He wants. Let me explain.
In 2 Samuel 7 we have an interesting and perplexing passage about David wanting to build a house (bayith in Hebrew) for God. Now intuitively we think that anything done for God is a no-brainer. Nathan, a great prophet of God even thought so. Without even consulting God he said, "Go for it!" because, like I said, it's a no-brainer. However, when Nathan actually heard from God, he heard a different answer - NO! Why would God want to remain the "Tent God" and not the "House God". Maybe the answer is found in that Hebrew word Bayith which is used 15 times in this chapter. (I got these thoughts from my son who recently preached from this passage) In 7:13 God tells Nathan that He (God) will build an everlasting Bayith (house) for David. His kingdom will never end and the savior of the world, the Messiah, will come through his house.
Religion says, work for God and He will reward you. In fact all religions in the world except Christianity say that in order to get to Heaven, our eternal house, we have to be good for God. Christianity says that we can't be good enough so Jesus had to be good in our place. We don't work for Him, He works for us. Is it possible that since this a key prophetic messianic prophecy that a point had to be made that we enter God's house by Him working for us, not vice-versa?
Well, what about once we are saved - don't we then work for God? Actually, NO! There are no passages that say "work for Christ". However, there are a bunch that say "work in Christ". You see, not only has He done all the work to get you to your Heavenly home and actually is preparing it for us even now (John 14:3), but, in the person of the Holy Spirit He has made His house inside you now.
"Do you not know, your body is the house of the Holy Spirit" 1Cor 6:19
"For it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to His good purpose" Phil. 2:13
"Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord." Rom 16:13
"this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me." Col. 1:27,29
Religion says work for salvation. WRONG
Religion says work for God. WRONG
Jesus says, "I've done the work, rest in me. Let me come in and save you and then work in you and through you as you surrender control of your life to me" Stop building a house for God and let Him build His house in you.
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