How To Be Wise (Part 9)

(This is from Wednesday, April 9th)
Wednesdays are the days that I am super busy. There is so much to do to prepare for our youth gathering: setting up the room, getting the song list ready, power point, food, the list goes on and on. Moreover, I go to schools for there lunches on Wednesday to be with the students in A.C.T.S. and Youth Alive (these are Christian clubs on campus). We also have an after school program that picks the students up from school and brings them here for the rest of the evening leading up to the time for our youth gathering. It's pretty hectic! However, right in the middle of the day, between A.C.T.S. and Youth Alive, I take a breather. Mo, James and I along with a great youth pastor friend of mine, Ricky, go eat together. Most of the time we end up at a Chinese buffet called Hong Kong Inn. The food is good and the waitress, Gale, has our drinks memorized. It never fails, when she brings out the check, she always says, "Here's the fun part!" And, like most Chinese restaurants, sitting on top of the check is the world famous fortune cookie. I always enjoy reading my "fortune" just for kicks, but today's fortune cookie pertains to my recent topic of discussion. Here's what it said, "Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise."

That brings me to the chapter of today. At the start of this one, I must give a shout out to my former mentor and pastor Mike Sanders. The first verse was the central verse for our church's statement of purpose. I still remember it, "Our purpose at Lakeview is to build the house of the Lord. Proverbs 9:1 'Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars.' The seven pillars of purpose that we are building this house with are worship, fellowship, discipleship, relationship, stewardship, Spirit infilling, ministry and evangelism." Pastor Mike was and is one of the greatest preachers I know. He and his wife, Andrea make a great team.

Okay, that being said, chapter 9 is the final contrast between wisdom and foolishness. Both of them are personified as someone throwing a party, one leading to life (vs 1-6) and one leading to death (verse 13-18). The commentary from the Nelson Study Bible explains verse 1 this way, "The number seven represents completeness, as it often does in Semitic (Jewish) poetry. That is, it is not that there were precisely seven pillars so much as that the house of wisdom was solidly built and substantial in character." A life built on the foundations of God's Word and upon His son Jesus is the only way to be strong against all the storms that come our way. Otherwise, we constantly live in "damage control" mode hoping to make it from day to day. A life built on God's Word is a life of peace. Sure the storms are still going to come, but you can rest assured that God will help you through and bring you out on the other side.

May you build your life of God's firm foundation.