Wisdom

Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all pleasant and precious riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4

Knowing Times and Seasons

To everything there is a season,
And a time for every purpose under heaven …
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance …
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

The Parable of the Foundations

Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man

who built his house on the rock:
and the rain descended, the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:24-25

My House His Home

If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word;
and my Father will love him, and We will come to him
and make Our home with him
John 14:23

… do you not know that your body
Is the temple of the Holy Spirit …
1 Corinthians 6:19

When Solomon became king, one of his top priorities was to build a home for God – a glorious temple. Later in the New Testament, Jesus taught of the parable of the two houses – one life built on obedience and the other on self-will. When we combine these two principles, we understand that a person’s life is like a house and that we are God’s temple. In fact Jesus says: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:20). In other words, Jesus wants us to let Him into our life – our house. He wants to chat, rap, hang out with us. He wants to help us renovate, re-decorate, re-build and restore our ‘homes.’

If we are God’s home – a dwelling place for the divine – then we are also really a temple. We are God’s temple. In His eyes, our life was designed to be sacred. This means that touching God means developing a taste for the good things that please Him. It means walking in righteousness, which means taking the right pathways through life. It means becoming upright or allowing God to straighten out the crookedness of our sinful nature. It means studying the architecture of God’s Word or the patterns of His thoughts and building them into our homes. It means building life by making carefully-considered and God-approved choices. This deliberate kind of home construction asks more of us, but it also produces the deepest joy, for it is the house built on the rock – on consistent obedience – that remains standing through the flux of circumstance.

I’ve seen storms and faced flooding, yet every cyclone season proves that my home is perfectly weather-proof and totally time-resistant. I know because I’m still standing on My Rock!

Twin Houses

Twin Houses

A house on sand
A house on rock
They looked the same
Yet differed lots

A house on sand
A house on rock
The rains came down
Winds slammed and shocked

One house fell
One house stood
As God predicted
Both lives would

The house on sand
Was quaint and neat
But wobbled still
On feeble feet

The house on rock
Stood firm and still
For it was built
For far until

The house on sand
Had flashy paint
The cheap stuff
Washed off in the rain

The house on rock
Had flexy steel
So it didn’t shift
Though it slightly reeled

The house on sand
Was just for show
Hay and stubble
Stuffed below

The house on rock
Was built for God
Its richly stones
Sure gained His nod

The house on sand
Was built with pride
Its pillars
Me, Myself and I

The house on rock
Knew God’s great love
Wise and true
A loyal dove

A house on sand
A house on rock
The streams rose high
They both got knocked

The house on rock
Saw winds that howled
Before the storm
It did not bow

The house on sand
Was smashed to bits
Its ruin great
For dullard wit

What is your bed?
Rock or silt?
The moral’s clear
Just do His will

©NnekaEdwards2006

The Art of Building

O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colourful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires …
And all your walls of precious stones.
Isaiah 54:11-12

Everyone has a gift and one of the greatest joys is sharing our gift with others. I love encouraging people, but there’s an art to making people feel better. Here are some things that you can do to encourage the down-hearted, refresh the weary, heal the bruised and build up the broken:

· Listen – lend a patient and attentive ear
· Pray – shoot up a prayer and ask God what to say
· Give Hope – let people know God won’t let them down
· Share – share advice without monopolizing conversation
· Choose – choose words that add honey or salt (not gall)
· Quote – quote scripture or other inspirational sayings
· Tickle – use your sense of humour to bring a smile
· Compliment – say something nice but genuine about them
· Say nothing – caring silence with a hug speaks volumes
· Picture – use imagery to offer memorable advice
· Make Contact – hug, squeeze shoulder, hold hand, rub back
· Write – write a letter or send a kind message
· Sing – sing a song of comfort, encouragement, inspiration
· Call – ring them up, ask how they are, probe below “I'm ok.”
· Give – get them something to sweeten their day
· Accept – accept who they are, but inspire them with tomorrow

And the list could go on and on because encouragement is really about being thoughtful. Once we consider how we would want to be treated were the shoe on our foot, then it becomes much easier. There is an art to building. Springs of care refresh when we thirst for hope, balms and ointments of sweet words heal when we are hurting, and the oil of joy rejoices our heart when friendship is near. Creative kindness pours courage into our moments of weakness. There is an art to building, to restoring, to beautifying. Here I offer you a cup of hope, paint a rainbow through your clouds, and plant a garden in your heart. Dip into this well of joy and be refreshed. This is my gift which I gladly share with you.

The Beauty of Wisdom

Wisdom is the grace of a flower, unfolding petal by petal. It is the patience of perfection. It is a seed waiting in the dark of the soil, yet feeling the warmth of the sun, and the kindness of rain – always hoping, always trusting, always reaching for the sky, looking for God. Wisdom waits, even when the waiting is long. Even as a seed she looks to what she will become. Wisdom is patient trust in a sweet promise that sings with every new dawn. Every green shoot, every young leaf, every tender bud takes her to her tomorrow. Wisdom waits. Wisdom hopes. Wisdom trusts. Wisdom knows that there is a sweet reward for waiting – the grace of a flower, unfolding petal by petal unto her crowning moment. As she blossoms and the birds drink in her sweetness, and the sun catches her hues, and the world warms to her charm, she offers spring perfume to God singing, “Thank you for planting me in autumn, thank you for keeping me through winter, thank you for giving me joy in spring, thank you making me dance in summer, thank you for clothing me in finery more exquisite than the robes of Solomon. Thank you! Thank you! How I thank you! Thank you for making me beautiful in my time! Everything is lovely! Everything is perfect! Your artistry, your design, your craftsmanship makes me glow.”

Joie Journal - Solomon ... Selah!

Dear Diary,
I sometimes wonder about Solomon; you know, the-wisest-man-of-his-time King Solomon. He accomplished so much and started off so well. He wrote books of proverbs and even spoke to God in a dream. He was intelligent, knowledgeable, astoundingly astute … and yet … he messed up majorly! It’s made me think about what wisdom really is. It is both complex and simple. It speaks of character, spiritual perception, factual knowledge, knowing times and seasons, and connecting multiple dots, Still, when I think about Solomon, I realize that there is one foundation which supports all of those wisdom skills. It’s nothing flashy or fancy, but it’s the secret of true success … simple obedience. I can have all the knowledge in the world, be the most lettered person on the planet, and be able to expound on this and that, but if I don’t do what God tells me then my golden knowledge is really golden sand; and if I do a lot but I’m being much less, then I’m building a sand castle. I realize that God cares how I talk to the cleaners at work, and how I do my job, and how I teach my students, and how I guard my heart. I realize God cares about the big print and the fine detail. I know God feels deeply delighted when I do things the way He would do them. I know that true wisdom is in the goodness of my ‘how’ going the distance through time and circumstance with unswerving loyalty. Wisdom is seeing God’s nature and moving towards it. Wisdom is building life with care. Wisdom is building friendship with God. Wisdom is making of me a home for my Maker. Wisdom is jeweled foundations shimmering with His nature. Wisdom is simply brilliant!

Building Myself Up

O Lord, I thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. The psalmist says that you stoop down to make me great. You come down to my level so that I can relate to you on yours. I love your ways God because they are perfect. I love when you talk to me and help me see things from your perspective. Thank you for teaching me how to build my life. You are the architect of my path. You are the designer of my times and seasons. As I walk through dark times and dark days, let my foundation be on the rock. Let my heart remain soft towards you so that I always obey you, for therein lies strength that cannot be broken by the storms of life or the howling winds of change. You are my God and my confidence is in You! You are my fortress. You are a wall and hedge about me. You are my hope into the future. I know that you know best and in that I find comfort. This house will stand firm as its design comes from you, the Master Architect, Master Builder and Master Project Manager. Everything will be built to specification, every standard of integrity will be met. I’ll build with the best materials – with faith, hope, love, joy, wisdom and all the good things I see in you. I’ll build according to your time, so let your tic, toc inside of me. Help me to know my times and seasons. I thank you, Lord, in and for all things. I may not see the whole picture, but I trust you. Everyone has a ‘house’ but not everyone is Your home. Let this life you are building be Your home!