Are You Up Or Down, Pt 3b - No. 85

Proverbs 24:3, “Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.”

 

A builder cannot build a home without tools. He needs a saw, hammer, spirit level and plumb line etc. We also need tools in order to build a godly home? We cannot build without the tools of love, forgiveness, encouragement, understanding, positivity, prayer and intercession and so on. But the Word of God tells us that the main building tool we need is wisdom.

 

Proverbs 9:1 says, “Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars.” The tool of wisdom builds seven pillars that make a marriage and home strong and durable. What are these seven pillars? I believe they are recorded for us in James 3:17, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

A pillar is a strong support to hold up a building. As we seek with wisdom to build these pillars into our home and marriage, we will build a home that is strong and secure and that will stand the trials and storms that will inevitably buffet us.

1. THE PILLAR OF PURITY.

The word “pure” in the Greek is “hagnos” which means “freedom from defilements or impurities, pure in body, mind and spirit, unpolluted, clean, modest, chaste.” As we build the pillar of purity, we will seek to guard our home from all defiling movies, literature, Internet and anything that would taint the minds of our children. God is looking for clean minds, clean hearts and clean homes where He can dwell. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness (hagnos), without which no man shall see the Lord.”

Continually pray for the purifying power of the Holy Spirit to blow through your home. Regularly check your home for worldly books and videos, toys, pictures and ornaments that can infiltrate your home. God commands us in Deuteronomy 7:25-26, “Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it; but you shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing.” Read also Deuteronomy 18:9-14, Psalm 24:3-5; 51:10; 73:1 and Isaiah 1:16.

2. THE PILLAR OF PEACE MAKING.

In every hurtful situation, there is always an opportunity to make peace. We can choose to thrust the sword in further, to make the wound wider or to demand the last say -- but the end result is destruction. The hardest thing to do is to give a soft answer, to respond with forgiveness and make steps toward peace – but this will build a strong marriage and home. This pillar will fill your home with blessing. Jesus Himself told us this, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)  Are you building the peace-making pillar in your home? Is it crumbling or standing strong?

3. THE PILLAR OF GENTLENESS.

This seems a paradox doesn’t it? How can gentleness be a strong pillar? David confessed in Psalm, “Thy gentleness has made me great.” (Psalm 18:35) A gentle spirit is very precious in the sight of God. It is very precious to a husband too. It is a very precious pillar in the home. (1 Peter 3:4) Man’s wisdom tells us to be self-assertive. The wisdom from above tells us to have a gentle spirit. The word literally means, “forbearing”. In other words, we should react with gentleness rather than sharply and rudely when our children or husband make us mad. This pillar will add divine strength to you, your marriage and your family.

The other evening our daughter and husband and their seven children sat around our table for supper. As we enjoyed our meal each one of us, including the children, shared the new revelation that God had been revealing to us. Because I was thinking about building pillars in our home, I asked the children, “How do you think we can build a pillar of gentleness in the home?” Ten-year-old Zadok responded, “No harsh words, no yelling, no arguing and no negativity to one another.” Five-year-old Crusoe answered, “No rudeness to one another.” They had the right answers, didn’t they?

Dear mother, you have a big job on hand. Don’t give up on this great task of building your pillars. We will talk about the rest of them next week.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, thank you for this great revelation that I am a pillar builder. Fill me with your divine wisdom as I walk softly before you in my home. Help me to build with your wisdom, not the wisdom of this world that is earthly, sensual and devilish. Save me from being tainted by this humanistic wisdom for I want to build godly pillars in my home. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: