Life Building

By wisdom a house is built…

Proverbs 24:3

Solomon was not only addressing the building of a house but also the construction of a life. But life building cannot be entirely separated from engagements in other areas of life. It is not that in the cool of the morning we withdraw to the prayer closet to build our life, and then in the heat of the day attend to worldly affairs. We cannot segment our hearts or our minds or our lives. One area bleeds into another and how we do our work influences how we live our lives and how our hearts are ruled, or not ruled, by God.

The wisdom of God’s word establishes our understanding of reality and, thereby, our values. We have the foundation of our lives in the creative act of God that ushered in our existence. Our life was redeemed by Christ and established in His grace. This is our reality and with this beautiful foundation we should use the best of materials to construct our lives. Of course, technically, we would say that God is building it and we are joining Him in His work.

Satan often comes to us with a temptation to see ourselves differently, to see ourselves as fallen creatures only. Of course, we are fallen. As Paul wrote, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature” (Romans 7:18). But we are also being redeemed. Redemption has its stages: past, present, and future. As concerns our past we are forgiven, justified. God now sees our past through the lens of the grace of Christ poured out on Calvary. His righteousness covers our failures. As concerns our present, we are being redeemed at present by His Spirit and His word. This is the great truth of Romans 8. As concerns our future, our glorification awaits us, but it will surely happen. So we have victory over the penalty of sin today, over the power of sin in our lives as we live in obedience to His Spirit, and we will have victory over the presence of sin in the future.

In this new life that God is constructing what are the pure, good things you would like to see? Are your thoughts impure? Then fill your mind with pure and holy things, “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things” (Phil. 4:8). Are your habits contrary to the holy qualities of your new foundation? Then adopt new ones. Are the words of your mouth holy like the foundation? Then, make them so. Confess and repent and God will forgive and cleanse. Then work with Him in constructing a life filled with the beauty of God.

Prayer:

Lord, we fail often in the constructing of our lives and thoughts. Let all that we think, say, and do be in agreement with the new foundation for life we find in Your grace. Amen.