At the 2025 Global Leadership Summit, Juliet Funt talked about the IKEA Effect—the idea that people have a disproportionate affection for things they help build. When your sweat and effort go into something, your heart goes into it too.

That’s why God doesn’t just call us to observe His work but to join in it. We love the church more when we’ve prayed for it, served in it, and sacrificed for it.

But here’s the greater truth: in the kingdom of God, the real building starts on our knees. Scripture says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

Our leadership, our ministries, even our lives are most deeply shaped not by what we achieve standing up, but by what we surrender kneeling down.

So remember this: don’t just admire what God is building—put your hands to it, and put your knees into it. That’s when the love grows.

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Until next time - grace, peace, and every blessing.

Pastor Martin D. Odom