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Prepare Your Outside Work



Written May 25, 2020 I love Proverbs! For a long time I didn’t value the book of Proverbs (probably because I didn’t know what a lot of them were talking about), but about two years ago I began reading a proverb every day, as 31 chapters line up nicely with the days in a month. And since I started, I have become obsessed! It is now the first thing I read in my Bible every day and if I don’t, I feel withdrawals : )


Laying a Strong Foundation

One Proverb in particular that has been catching my eye and that the Lord has been speaking to my heart about the last few months is Proverbs 24:27, “Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house.” Many of the commentaries that I read regarding this verse spoke of physical labor - providing a good and level land before building a physical house, having a stable income before pursuing marriage or building a family, etc. All of which are good and valuable things. However, I believe what the Lord is speaking to me through this verse, though financial stability is a piece, is spiritual.

With my desire for our family to serve on the overseas, God wants us to lay a good spiritual foundation in our home. He wants us to be grounded in the Word, grounded in our faith, and unshakable as a family unit, who has our eyes fixed on Jesus'; where nothing is able to move us or cause division.

Whether or not you’re interested in cross-cultural work isn’t the point. Whatever God has for you, whether you live in the same town your entire life or you move across oceans, God wants you to establish a good foundation for yourself and your family in order to build His spiritual house - His kingdom. So, really think about what foundation you’re building on. Is it on how much you do or own, or someone you love? Or is it in on Jesus? Matthew 7:24-27 says:

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

What Does It Mean to Build on Sand?

Sand, in this sense, is anything other than Jesus himself. He’s asking you, and me, to fix our eyes completely on Him, to put Him first and above all else, and to constantly make the conscious choice to love Him, and to choose His ways above our own. This is not always the easiest way. It’s actually probably the hardest! It takes self-discipline and self denial, and frequently, the people around us will think we’re fools, and probably tell us so more than once. But we have to decide to let God’s voice be louder than all the others, and to let His opinion be the only one that matters. When we do this, God is faithful to do, and to be, all that He is for us - He provides, He comforts, He heals, and He walks with us through all the hard, and all the beautiful places. Through it all, we have the opportunity to experience constant joy, blessings, and peace as we trust Him, lean into Him, and make Him our refuge. And when the time is right, when the foundation is solid, He’ll take our hand and lead us gently into our promised land.

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