Mensa Otabil - Builders and Destroyers
- Watch
- Donate
Welcome to a brand new week. This week we’re going to look at the book of Proverbs, specifically Proverbs chapter 14. There are lessons we will learn about wisdom and the things we need to do to make our lives better and pleasing to the Lord. We start with Proverbs chapter 14, verse 1. The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands. This passage of the proverb is talking about builders and destroyers. Although the focus is on a woman, the general lesson applies to both men and women, and it is also relevant for young people. It speaks of those who build and those who destroy.
The first thing we learn is that wise people build things. The wise woman builds, and the wise man builds. It is hard to build; it takes a lot of effort to build anything, whether you are building your life, your home, or a career. Building requires a significant amount of effort. Frequently in the Bible, people who build are described as wise. The act of building goes beyond just physically putting building materials together; it also involves nurturing, care, and the effort it takes to build something. Building is not just about putting things up but also about maintaining what you have constructed. It’s very easy for a person to start something, but it is difficult to keep it working.
Marriage is a good example; it is very easy to get married and have a wedding, but it takes wisdom to build it, to make it work, to sustain it, and to maintain it. In whatever we do, the beginning is easy, but the building process also requires ongoing maintenance. A wise person doesn’t just start building things; they also maintain what they have built. If we consider ourselves wise, then whatever we start doing, whatever we build, we must ensure that it is maintained.
The passage states that the foolish person pulls down everything with her hands. It’s very easy to tear things down; the easiest thing to do is to demolish something. Have you seen a demolition exercise? A building that has taken probably six months or a year to be constructed can be brought down in thirty minutes because it’s so easy to tear down. That is why it is so easy to fight people, criticize people, and destroy people. It is the simplest part of life to sit aside, watch what others are doing, and tear it down.
Similarly, it takes a day to have a glamorous wedding, but it is so easy to tear everything down. What kind of person are you? Are you a builder or a destroyer? That is a choice we have to make. The one that God commends to us is that we must be builders. Ensure that every day of your life, you are building something- your life, your work, your family. Build things, but don’t just build them; maintain what you have built so that what you have constructed keeps standing year after year after year after year. That is what God calls us to be: wise people who build things, not foolish people who tear down everything we have built. May the Lord give us the grace to be builders of lives and builders of good things.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I want to be a builder. Help me nurture and grow everything You have given me. In Jesus' name, amen.