Are You Up Or Down, Pt 3c - No. 86
Nehemiah 2:18, “Let us rise up and build.”
This week we look at the rest of the seven pillars of wisdom.
4. THE PILLAR OF YIELDEDNESS.
This looks like a weakly pillar doesn’t it? But not in God’s eyes. A willingness to yield takes strength. It builds a strong pillar. Here are some different translations -- “easy to be entreated” (KJB), “willing to yield” (RAV, NLT),(J.B. Phillip’s), “open to reason” (NEB, RSV, CJB) and “submissive” (NIV). Are you resisting your husband’s leading? This will weaken your home. As you yield, you will build your marriage. You will build a godly pillar into your home and your children will learn from watching you. As you reveal God’s plan for wives through your life, you will build a wisdom pillar not only for your home, but also for the marriages of your children and the generations to come. “approachable”
5. THE PILLAR OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUITS.
God is a merciful and forgiving God. Because He is merciful, He wants to reveal His mercy through us. He wants our homes to be filled with compassion, forgiveness and the good fruits of His Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control. (Galatians 5: 22-23) The Message Bible translates it, “Overflowing with mercy and blessings.” We must have judgment, discipline and order in a home, but oh we need a mercy pillar too.
“How often do I have to forgive someone who sins against me? asked Peter. “Seven times?”
“Oh no!” replied Jesus. “Seventy times seven!” That’s 490 times! It actually means an indefinite number -- as many times as someone hurts you! (Matthew 18:21-22) Oh my, we certainly have plenty of opportunity to build a huge pillar of forgiveness and mercy, don’t we? When we refuse to show mercy and forgive, we tear down our marriage and home. When we forgive again and again, we build up this mighty pillar.
Did you have to forgive many times today? Perhaps you’ll have to do it again tomorrow! Don’t give up. Remember, this is an endless command from our Lord and Savior. God extends His mercies newly to us every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) As we allow His mercy to flow through us, we too will need to show compassion and forgive again and again each new day.
How strong is this pillar in your home?
6. THE PILLAR OF IMPARTIALITY.
Oh how we need the wisdom from above to act with fairness, justness and no favoritism. It is easy to see things from a wrong perspective when we use our own wisdom. Cry out for God’s wisdom as you guide and discipline your children.
7. THE PILLAR OF GENUINENESS.
There is no hypocrisy in God’s wisdom. There should be none in ours either. The word that is used here in James 3:17 is “unfeigned” which means ‘genuine, sincere, not counterfeit, not hypocritical’. Down in Australia they call someone who can be trusted and who is truly genuine, “fair dinkum” or “true blue”. This is how our children should see us. They should see that our faith and love are genuine and that we act at home the same way that we act at church on Sunday! The easiest way to turn your children away from God is for them to see hypocrisy in your lives.
Tune your heart to God’s wisdom as you daily build these seven pillars into your home and marriage.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
“Oh God, please help me to be “true blue”. I want my children to see that my faith is genuine. Help to wake each morning with a building mentality so that every word and every action will build up my home. Save me from being destructive and pulling down. Amen.”
AFFIRMATION:
I’ve begun building a godly home and I will finish my course. I will not give up half way through, no matter how difficult the obstacles.