Built Through Wisdom

I know, I have already indicated that we are built up in and to love, and now I am writing that it is through wisdom we are built. It may be confusing to some, but not to me this morning. You see, in order to build up in love, one must understand. Understanding comes from wisdom, and therefor is certainly part of the building process.

“³By wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches.”

— Proverbs 24:3-4 (ESV)

In the above verses, the writer, likely Solomon, is outlining the need for wisdom in our house. It is one thing to know something, but it is something else to understand. One can have information yet not understand the value of that information beyond the moment. For example, and I may have mentioned this before, I gain information on how to repair the washer or dryer from videos online, but that does not mean that I can replicate that day after day after day without looking again at the online videos. In order to gain understanding, I would have to devote myself to the information and commit it to memory for quick recall and repeated use.

The same is for the use of information in the building in love. I have to devote myself to the gaining of love to experience and understand love. Once I have that understanding, I am able to build my house on love and into love that is Christ.

The more we understand the more thoughtful and consequential are our decisions. As I gain in understanding and wisdom, my actions are dictated by that understanding and wisdom. Actions that are calculated but not without risk. The difference is that the risk is known and accepted as part of the building. The understanding and wisdom diminish the risk to the control of the LORD and His will of provision and blessing.

The opposite is true without understanding and wisdom. In those decisions, we tend to just go after it without care and let the chips fall where they may. Yes, there is risk in those decisions, but the risk is far greater as things have not been ruled out or the consequences have not been accepted as consequential. The risk is controlled by desire and selfish gain as opposed to the LORD and His will of provision and blessing.

Slow and steady is the way with wisdom and understanding. Think about the cookie cutter houses that are built quickly. Yes, many are built in a short time to give shelter to those in need. But the materials may not be the best quality and the sustainability of those houses are suspect. Comparing to the custom homes built that take months or years to erect. Castles still stand today from hundreds of years ago as they were built with the best of materials and over time to get it just right.

Our houses, to be built to sustain, should be built with wisdom and understanding. Slow and steady and calculated. With only the best materials (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) to ensure the long standing and established house of the LORD.

What is your house built on? Are you a builder to get it up as fast as possible? What if you chose the quality materials that are derived from the wisdom and understand that comes from the LORD?

Be Prepared

The motto for the scout movement is, “Be Prepared”. This phrase also influences the spiritual leader as he begins and proceeds in leadership.

It is important to be prepared for the role that you are taking on. For example, if you do not know anything about basketball, it will make it difficult to play the game, much less lead a team. If you don’t know anything about music, playing an instrument will not generally go very well, and leading an orchestra, well who will follow you. I recall a US Senate hearing related to interviewing a new director of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). The nominee, demonstrated his complete lack of knowledge as related to aviation and was swiftly rejected.

But what does preparation mean and/or look like? It is widely known that learning comes from a number of places, so the formal education is not the only source. Now, it is important to be educated in a field in order to gain knowledge of that field, I will not argue. But what I will point out is that there are people who know more about a subject or field based on their experience and time spent in that field.

My father-in-law worked in the signage field for many years and then had his own welding shop for many years after that. An engineer came to him with specifications for a flag pole and my father-in-law rejected them telling the engineer that what he had was overkill and he could indeed get by with less to accomplish what he was wanting. The engineer left, recalculated and returned confirming with my father-in-law the new specifications would indeed work. It was not the formal education, but the deliberate study and experience in the field that produced the results.

Leadership is not that much different. It is preparation in the field that will produce the results. One must have a “plan to continue growing personally and mentally” – Henry & Richard Blackaby, in order to be prepared to lead spiritually. Leaders should stop and take a look at where they are and seek out the resources to get them where they want to be.

I get a lot of ribbing from my family for wanting to be prepared. I set up contingency plans on top of contingency plans to ensure that I will generally know what to do if things go a little sideways. The ribbing continues until that thing happens and the quick adjustment, that I had prepared for, is made and we just continue with our path. It is the knowledge and preparation that make the difference. Shouldn’t our preparation to spiritually lead be the same.

“²⁹Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will stand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure men.”

— Proverbs 22:29 (ESV)

That skill comes from study and preparation. It does not generally come automatically. It is something that is worked on over time and will deliberate action. To have a skill or be a leader, we mus be prepared.

What is your thought on skills? Are you of the opinion that someone is just born with it? What if you were to see and understand that is more about learning and growing in the field and preparing for the role, in this case the role of spiritual leader?

Qualities that Lead the Escape of Sinful Desire

“⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” – 2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV)

And there they are, the qualities that I have to undertake each and every moment. I notice this morning that they begin with faith and build up to the quality of love. What a great quality to have. We have to love. After all, it is the top two commandments.

“³⁷And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV)

Jesus, when asked, identified love as the important part of those commandments and it is no wonder that Peter identifies it as one of the key qualities to escape sinful desire. But, it is not just about knowing the qualities, we are called to live them out.

“⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” – 2 Peter 1:8-10 (ESV)

Peter lets known that the qualities, where having them is important, it is more important to live them out. And notice in the second half of verse 10 that “if you practice these qualities you will never fall”. This fall is not related to the experience of hardship or persecution, but that you will escape the trap of sinful desire.

“³His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” – 2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV)

So here we have it. Immerse into the qualities that are good, faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. They begin with faith and the pinnacle is love knowing that the top two commandments are rooted in love. When I am living these qualities daily, I am able to escape sinful desire and inherit the kingdom of God.

“¹¹For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:11 (ESV)

What are you doing to escape sinful desire? Are you looking to simply be good? What if you lived daily the qualities above knowing that they will keep you from sinful desire?