Build on the Rock

In the last few weeks, two Bible passages jumped out at me because of their emphasis on wisdom and building one's house.

I'm leading a Bible study with some of the girls in our youth group, and we're going to be studying Proverbs 31:10-31. As I started preparing, I read a commentary that brought into focus the fact that all of the practical wisdom in Proverbs 31 is based on and rooted in the wisdom that comes from seeking the Lord. Without godly wisdom, any practical wisdom is worthless.

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Then a couple weeks ago, in our Sunday evening service, our pastor read the Sermon on the Mount. The last thing included in Matthew's account of the Sermon is the parable of the houses built on rock and sand.

²⁴"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Again, I was reminded that all the building with wordly wisdom will not stand. It is Christ and His Word that our lives and families must be built on.

I want the Word to be in my heart, on my tongue and even in my house for others to see. I've thought of (or heard of) a few ways to keep the Word more in front of my eyes, and I thought I'd share:

• My mother-in-law used to post notecards with Bible verses in random places throughout the house, that her family would see on a regular basis. For example, my husband tells a story about pulling open the fruit drawer in the fridge to find that Galatians 5:22, describing the fruits of the Spirit, was taped to the inside of the drawer. It didn't take him long to memorize that verse, without even working at it, just from seeing it every day.

• Write a verse on a notecard or post-it and tape it to the side of your mirror.

• My mom once got a gift of a decorative 4" x 5" frame, with the encouragement to write out a Bible verse, put it in the frame, and then put the frame near the kitchen sink.

• Keep a notecard with a Bible verse in your pocket. Every time you reach for your keys, cell phone, etc, pull out the card and read the verse.

• Memorize a verse with your family. Brian and I try (emphasis on try) to memorize verses together and quiz each other on one at mealtimes. This keeps us fresh, but also puts the Word in front of Jonathan as well.

• Grab a stencil and a brush, and paint a verse as a border along the ceiling line of your wall.

Those are just a few ways I've heard of or used. I'd love to hear some of the ways you've worked on memorizing or displaying the Word in your own home.