Friday, 24 April 2020
Proverbs 24.3-4 ESV
By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
King Solomon is also well known for his grandeur in building the Temple of God, his many palaces, stables to all his collection of horses and chariots, and the numerous beautiful palaces for his wives and concubines. He is not just talking about building just structures. He is talking about building homes, families, and individuals. He boils down to three very important elements to be successful in building our houses our homes and our lives or our church. These three elements are Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge. The most wonderful thing is that they are freely available to all who search for them.
Here Solomon says we not only build, but also maintain, and furnish a physical house or a home. The word, “build” means to set up, to erect, to construct, or it can mean to rebuild or repair.
Proverbs 8:12-14 (NIV)
12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
By wisdom a house is built. Wisdom is prudence. It also refers to wisdom in handling practical matters with good judgement or common sense. People with wisdom also have the ability to plan ahead. They have the ability to keep themselves from being misled. Jesus instructed the disciples, “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” and this is prudence. Be wise and not be naïve as we go about building our homes and our lives.
By understanding a house is established. Understanding is referred to as intelligence, insight, skill, reasoning, and discernment. It takes planning, effort, thought, skill, and understanding to build and maintain a house or a home. Established means to be firm, be stable, make secure, make ready, to stand in an upright position. This house is built to withstand, the storms of life. If our home is built and established with wisdom and understanding, we as a family will be able to go through the tests and trials of life.
By Knowledge, a house is filled with valuable things. Once the house is built and is maintained, it also needs to be tastefully furnished. A house that is filled with valuable and pleasant riches not by greed, and dishonesty but by wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Material wealth is never spoken as evil in the Bible. The Bible is not against the possession of wealth but it cautions us not to be possessed by WEALTH. The warning is against loving these precious treasures, hoarding them, being selfish with them and making idols out of them. Material possessions are themselves neutral. The real issue is our heart’s attitude towards them. Is easy to build but hard to maintain, just look around our once beautiful public buildings but a few years later they became dilapidated and falling apart due to neglect. This is true with many marriages. We started well but due to lack of loving maintenance, our families are falling apart.
When you see someone with a beautiful, well-constructed, well-furnished house or home, we know they must have put in a lot of hard work of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, to be what it is today.
Applications:
Maintenance: One of the big issues of maintenance in the home is relationship. Husbands love, wives submit and children obey. These scriptural injunctions that cause much conflict in the home. This past week in our devotion on wives’ submission and children’s obedience, may have ignited some interesting discussion in your home or homegroup. It is easier to see results when we as children of God set a good example to those we talk to. We must walk the talk. We must submit in the Lord when the submission is not against the scripture. I know of a young Christian girl was asked by the mother to put a charm to the suspected lover of the father. This young Christian lady told her mom, “Sorry, I can’t do it because I am a Christian.” There is much conflict in obedience between parents and children is in the area of choosing of career. This is a very tricky one. I understand my role as a father to two lovely girls is not to dictate to them what I want for them. My is job is to guide them to seek the mind of Christ for their lives together with them. Once they have decided that’s what God wants them to do, I will give my best to help them to achieve it with the help of God. Parents let us be careful! Please don’t impose our unrealized dream on your children.
Wealth: This is another area of great contention and strife in the home. Is not so much as to what we have or don’t have. The real issue is what is wealth to us. We must recognize all that we have belong to God. We are but stewards or managers of the wealth God has given to us. How do we gain our wealth? How do we use it? Are we contented with what we have? In our current situation many of us are facing, the reality of losing our jobs, pay cuts, and if the MCO prolongs, we might run out of money. I pray that we will not fret but trust God and his providence. In reality, this is where the family is so important. PBC is a family of God’s people. We are here to support each other. I know many are shy to share their needs. It is difficult to read minds if we don’t share. No one will know what to do to help. I assure you that we will not embarrass you when we try to come alongside you during this is a difficult time. Please call me or any of the pastors, elders, deacons and deaconesses. We count it a privilege to walk alongside with you.
Pastor Isaac Yim
xxx
每日灵粮
24/4/20
作者：严以撒牧师
箴言 24章 3- 4 节
24:3 房屋因智慧建造、又因聪明立稳．
24:4 其中因知识充满各样美好宝贵的财物
所罗门王以建造了宏伟圣殿，许多的宫殿，所有的马匹和战车以及给他的妻子和姬妾众多美丽的宫殿居住而闻名。在这几节经文中，他不仅在谈论建造一个建筑物。反而，他正在谈论如何建立一个家，家庭和个人的建立。所罗门给了三个非常重要的因素，如何成功地建立我们的房屋，家庭和我们的个人生活或我们的教会。这三个要素是智慧，聪明和知识。最奇妙的是，所有想要拥有这三点的人都可以免费地得到它们。所罗门在这里说，我们不仅要建造，而且还要维护和装修我们的房屋或家庭。“建造”这词是指建立，架设，也可能意味着重建或修理。
箴言8 章 12 – 14 节
8:12 我智慧以灵明为居所、又寻得知识和谋略。
8:13 敬畏耶和华、在乎恨恶邪恶．那骄傲、狂妄、并恶道、以及乖谬的口、都为我所恨恶。
8:14 我有谋略、和真知识．我乃聪明．我有能力。
房屋因智慧建造。智慧需要谨慎。这里，智慧也指着要有良好的判断能力或以常识处理实际问题。有智慧的人有能力计划未来。他们有能力防止自己被误导。耶稣指示门徒说：“要灵巧像蛇、驯良像鸽子”，这是谨慎的做法。在建设家庭和生活时，我们要有智慧而不是傻乎乎的。
房子又因聪明立稳。聪明是指智力，洞察力，技能，推理和辨别力。建造和维护房屋或家庭需要计划，努力，思想，技巧和理解。建立指的是要牢固，稳定，安全，准备就绪和直立。这所房子的建造是为了抵御生活的风暴。如果我们的房子是用智慧和聪明建立的，那么我们一家人将能够经受住生活的考验和实验。
通过知识，房屋里充满了有价值的东西。房屋建成和维护后，还需要高雅的布置。一个充满价值的房子，里面不会有贪婪和不诚实，而是装满着智慧，聪明和知识。在圣经中，物质的财富从未被说成是邪恶的。圣经并不反对拥有财富，但它告诫我们不要被财富而收买。圣经告诫我们不要贪爱这些财富，对它们有私心并且把他们当成偶像。物质财产本身是中立的。真正的问题是我们内心对他们的态度。建造比维护来得容易，看一看我们周边曾经美丽的公共建筑，但却在几年后由于疏忽而变得残破不堪。许多婚姻也是如此。起步虽好，但是由于缺乏热心的建立，我们的家人分崩离析。
当您看到某个人拥有一栋美丽，结构合理，布置精良的房屋或家时，我们知道他们一定付出很多智慧，聪明和知识，才能成为今天的样子。
应用范围：
维护：家庭维护的其中大问题是关系。丈夫的爱，妻子的顺服，孩子们的服从。这些属灵的命令在家庭中引起很多冲突。在过去的一周的灵修中我们有谈到妻子的顺服和孩子们的服从，这些话题可能在您的家庭或家庭小组中引发了一些有趣的讨论。当我们作为上帝的儿女为与我们交谈的对象树立好榜样时，看到的结果就容易多了。我们必须言行合一。当顺服不违背圣经时，我们必须顺服主。我知道有一位母亲曾要求她一个年轻的基督徒女儿为父亲可疑的外遇下降头。这位年轻的基督徒女儿告诉妈妈，“对不起，我做不到，因为我是基督徒。”在职业选择方面，父母与子女之间的顺服也存有很多的冲突。这是一个非常棘手的问题。我了解我作为两个女儿的父亲所扮演的角色并不是要向她们指示我对她们的要求。我的工作而是引导她们并且和她们一起追求基督的样式。一旦她们决定了那是神要她们做的，我会尽力帮助她们并在神的带领下一起实现这一目标。父母，要当心！请不要将我们未实现的梦想强加给您的孩子。
财富：这是家庭中另一个引起激烈争执的问题。与其说我们拥有或没有，不如说真正的问题是我们对财富的定义是什么。我们必须知道我们所有的一切都属于上帝。我们只不过是上帝给我们所得的财富的管家。我们如何获得财富？我们如何使用它？我们满足于我们所拥有的吗？在我们目前的情况下，我们许多人都面临着失业，减薪的可能，如果行动管制令延长，我们甚至有可能会用花光我们的金钱。我祈祷我们不会烦恼，而是要相信上帝和祂的供应。实际上，这是家庭如此重要的地方。 PBC是上帝子民的家庭。我们在这里互相支持和鼓励。我知道有许多人都不好意思分享他们的需要。如果你们不分享出来，是很难得到帮助的。没有人会知道该怎么做才能提供给你们所需要的帮助。我向您保证，在这个困难时期，当我们尝试伸出援手时，我们不会让您感到尴尬。请打电话给我或任何牧师，长老，执事和女执事。我们很荣幸与您同行。
今天的祷告：
我们在天上的父，愿人都尊你的名为圣。我的心和凡在我里面的都当赞美祢。我们感谢祢耶和华以勒，因为祢看到我们的需要并供应我们。上帝啊，我们当赞美祢，耶和华拉法，我们的医治者，你使苦难变为甜美。祢原谅我们所有的罪过，并且治愈了我们所有的疾病。圣洁是祢的名字！
主啊，我们感谢祢在我们中间建立的所有家庭。我们感谢我们的家人。我们有一个好的开端。但是一路上，我们却用我们自私和犯罪的方式破坏了它。怜悯我们，帮助我们回到祢身边，愿意服从祢的指示，建造一个幸福快乐的家庭。主啊，请给我们谦卑的心来求祢的宽恕，也原谅我们身边的人。帮助我们彼此和解，让我们坦然无惧地重新生活在祢里面，让祢来改变我们，并让我们活得越来越像祢。
主啊，我们在这段漫长的封城中为家庭和谐生活祷告。当我们家庭在一起生活时，给我们谦卑，幽默感和仁慈。帮助我们使用这段在家的时间来加强与祢以及彼此之间的关系。
父啊，我们对我国以至全世界的疫情深感担忧。祢的话提醒我们，在这个世界上会有苦难，但是在祢里面，我们将拥有祢赐的平安。让我们定睛在祢，完全依靠祢过每一天。主啊，我们感谢祢在这个关键时期内保持Adriel的平安以及他不断的好转。我们会继续将他交给祢，求祢完全地医治。我们也为我们当中许多身体不舒服的人祷告，求祢医治他们并祝福他们。
谢谢主，祢是我们的耶和华罗伊，祢是我们的大牧羊人，在你里面我们有我们所需要的一切。我们赞美祢的圣名！
我们奉主耶稣的名祷告，阿们。
胡斐译