LifeLink Devotions for Monday, June 10, 2024

All my life I have loved tools. I have trouble walking through a hardware store and not picking up a new tool and trying to justify why I need it. I think my love for tools comes from a couple of childhood memories about my grandfather, Gunnar Gabrielson, who lived in Cleveland, Ohio. I loved to go down to the basement and look at his tools. I don’t ever remember seeing a power tool, just the old-fashioned hand tools. But what beautiful work he would do with those tools. He was a skilled craftsman. In fact, he designed and built the first ever sewing machine cabinet for the White Sewing Machine Company. It is on display in a museum in Cleveland. 

The major difference between my love for tools and my grandfather’s love for tools is that he knew how to use them well. He was careful and precise about everything he did. I do not understand those concepts. I am the proverbial bull in a china closet. I have tried to discipline myself to be careful, and I have accomplished some nice projects, but they are always flawed in some way, and it is always traceable to my lack of patience and carefulness, and to my pride that says I know just enough to do the job, when in fact I lack the wisdom to do the job well.

In today’s wisdom verses, Solomon uses the analogy of building a house to reveal to us the wisdom necessary for building a real life.

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

In this wisdom we see a natural progression of spiritual growth. Today would be a good day for us to evaluate our progress in building the house of our lives. Maybe there’s a project that needs to be completed before the Building Inspector arrives.

The first thing that is necessary in building a real life is the fear of the Lord. Solomon says that “by wisdom a house is built.” Earlier he stated that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” There is a common foundation under every spiritual house – Jesus Christ. That foundation is only available to those who have come face to face with God and recognized their hopeless and worthless condition considering His awesome perfection and holiness. “Woe is me, I am undone,” says the prophet Isaiah. From that condition of fear comes a faith in the mercy and grace of God to forgive, and in repentance we choose to build our house on Jesus Christ.

If we are going to be wise “life builders” we must have a firm foundation, and there is only one – Jesus Christ. Before you start thinking about what the house of your life will look like, make sure the foundation is properly in place.

Tomorrow we will look at some more life-building wisdom.

Pastor John