Recently, Robie & I traveled to Mesquite, Nevada, to stay with some longtime friends, get out of the snow and see some new country.  As part of that journey, we ended up flying into Las Vegas and staying for a couple days.  I’d flown through the Las Vegas airport a number of times in traveling but never had occasion, or the desire honestly, to stay in “Sin City” as it is called.  The hotel gave us a view of the Vegas Strip. I read that there is more money in that four miles than in any place in the world...more money spent on buildings and more money spent in those buildings. 

     As I was praying and looking over the city from our room’s window, I was struck by the amazing architecture, themes, the overall majestic hotels, epic water events and so much more.  There was an incredible beauty at night with buildings that were modeled after various cultures, historically rendered Roman, Greek or French, and others.  Skyscrapers looked like burnished gold as the morning sun would hit them.  Some had edifices of stone or brick and elaborate pillars. Exhibits of exotic animals at this place or that...a sensory overload that exploded around without end.   The thought struck me that I was looking at what mankind can build, when mankind builds for himself, for his own kingdom.  

     Yet in that “glory”, if that is what you can call it, I also saw the most broken part of mankind...the endless quest for the next great thing, the diversion and self-medication that is so alluring to people of the earth. Going down around six in the morning to get coffee and pray, I encountered people still at the slot machines, or walking the streets looking like they had been stand-ins for episodes of some recent zombie movie! My heart broke with the compassion of God for people trapped in the captivity of false promises and a broken world.  Mind you I’m not judging them. I wanted to free them with the good news of Jesus. If you’ve ever seen an animal caught in a trap or tangled in a fence, your first thought is not to condemn them for getting caught. You just want to help them get free!  I wanted to tell them of a good and loving God and Father who had amazing destiny and purpose for their lives. 

     The other thought I had was going back to the magnificent buildings, the elaborate structures, and the things that God had given man the ability to build. These haven’t been used for the purposes of God.  

     Anything that is built first comes from a desire or need. So, what is it that I or we want to build or that needs to built, to be used for God’s purposes?

     The Bible shows that Abraham would have an encounter with God, and build an altar of remembrance there.  What do I want to build?  What is the desire that God has put in my heart or your heart to build here on this earth? David’s greatest desire was to build something for God:

“Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.””

II Samuel 7:1-2 NKJV

We also see an indictment by the prophet Haggai in the following verse:

“Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?””              Haggai 1:3-4 NKJV

     I want to build something that has lasting Kingdom value...people, families, individuals and even things that touch generations ahead of me.  I believe that this is both spiritual and practical.

     Abraham was a spiritual man, but he built practical things that were useful and pointed to God.

     Building takes a determination and sowing of our time, talent and treasure to make it happen.

     I’ve seen with my own eyes what mankind can build. The question I pose to others, and most of all to myself, is what will we build?

- Pastor Jeff Ecklund