Build Wisely

(photo courtesy: graphicstock.com)

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”- Proverbs 24:3-4

I was in a building that was built in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. It was a magnificent structure with stained glass windows, beautiful masonry, and was still in great condition. I asked the person who was giving me the tour when the recent restoration was and they responded: “We haven’t had a restoration. The building was built by master craftsmen who took pride in their work. It wasn’t about getting a job done, but making sure the building was done to fit their standards.”

I think I had a confused look on my face because they went on to clarify, “The workers took pride in their craft. They wanted to make sure that anything their name was on would be quality and people would want to hire them for future work. They were perfectionists and took time to make sure their work was completed well.”

I smiled and expressed my appreciation. The tour guide wrapped up the conversation with this comment, “Nowadays, it feels like workers don’t take time to master their craft and take pride in what they do. It’s all about just doing enough to get the job done and hopefully the work lasts for a little while.”

Of course, this made me think about us and our spiritual life and I asked myself this question: “What are we building in our spiritual development?” (See what I did there?)

It seems like some of the deepest theological and spiritual thinkers came from the same era as this building I was in. It seems like people took the craft of discipleship seriously enough to dig into the Word of God and understand what was being spoken to the people of God.

It seems like, maybe, we have become too relaxed in the Church and have chosen to accept what is taught by pastors and other “thinkers” and ignore our own building project? 

In 1 Peter 3 we find him encouraging believers to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…”, this is significant for us because we have people today asking the reason we would believe in a God, or even Jesus, and we need to have an answer that is biblical and shows some understanding.

The issue is this:

 If we don’t take in the wisdom of scripture and allow time to gain understanding, then we are taking in just enough to get the job done, but our house might fall apart in the end. The knowledge found in the Word of God will allow us to be filled with His spiritual treasures to share with the people longing to discover their Creator.

May we take the necessary time to master the craft of understanding the words of our Creator and His message of hope, so that we may be a sturdy house built with wisdom for the glory of our Father.

QUESTION: What value do you place on studying the Scriptures?