Vanity, Vanity

Psalm 127: 1

Unless the Lord builds a house, they who build it labor in vain.

We just saw in Friday’s Word of the Day Jesus saying we should build our houses, i.e. lives, on the rock of his teachings. Do you think he had today’s verse in mind when he said that? Friday’s verse taught us that the foundation of any life must be Jesus’ words. Otherwise, there will be no firm foundation and every storm of life will blow the house down. Today’s verse teaches us the vanity of building a life on anything other than the Lord Jesus. What is the difference?

The implication of today’s verse is that if we do not construct our lives on Jesus’ teachings then we are essentially relying on our own strength and wisdom. This, the psalmist tells us, is vanity. In other words, we think ourselves wise and able. In fact, if we fail to build on Jesus’ foundation, it suggests we are wiser than he and more capable. We are vain in the way we puff up ourselves and the end result is a house of cards which falls down around us at the first stiff breeze.

It can be hard for us to admit we don’t know everything. It can be challenging to actually humble oneself under the direction, much less the lordship, of another. None the less, that is one of the foundation stones which Jesus has given us. Humility, rather than vanity, is the way to a successful and stable life. Do not labor in vain, build your house on the rock.