Edification part 1
I learned a long time ago that it does no good to do things just to do them. You need a reason. You need to know WHY you're doing what you're doing. You need to do things purposefully. With purpose. On purpose. By purpose. And I think that motivation really boils down to one thing: Love. Do things heartily. Because they are in your heart to do them, and to the best of your ability. Do things for others. See a need a meet it. Look at Romans 15:2, "Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification." That word "edification" is number 3619 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "architecture, that is, a structure; figuratively confirmation: - building, edify." I really like that. Because even though I know Jesus was a carpenter, and carpenters are generally builders of, like, tables and chairs and things like that... I've always thought of Him as an architect. Hebrews 3:4, "For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God," and Psalm 127:1, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain," seem to bear this out. He is the builder. The Divine Architect. And WE are the house that He built. (And is building, and will build.) But the Lord works in mysterious ways, right? Because He works though people. WE are the architects. We are kings and priests given authority and power to rule and reign on this earth. To rule and reign with, and through, and according to... love. That's how we build each other up--by loving each other. That's how we edify each other. I remember when I worked at K-mart a bunch of years ago I asked my boss a question and he kind of looked at me. Because while it had to do with work, it didn't have to do with MY work. And I said, "Just for my own edification." Because I was trying to learn about the business in order to be better AT my job. I certainly didn't think it would hurt, as we know knowledge is power. Knowing is half the battle, as Sergeant Slaughter used to say on the old G.I. Joe cartoon. So I think I always knew, deep down inside, that knowing was better than not knowing. You can drive yourself crazy wondering, and worrying, and stressing out. But when you know... you know. Then you can deal with it. Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you deal with it, right? But what I really want to talk about for the next few days, is how we treat each other. Yes, I'm still stuck on that. And I'm going to take my pastor's advice and preach it until my heart is empty on it. And here's the thing: It's so much easier to build up someone than it is to "repair" them after they've been knocked down. Look at Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." That foundation is everything. That's what we build ON. And that foundation is Jesus. That foundation is love. Love is what confirms us. Love is what builds us up. Love is what FILLS us up, so that the love inside can come out of us. Naturally. And that's the whole point of the whole thing--living a life of love. Letting God love us and loving Him back by loving people. Building people up instead of running them down. Giving what we've got so that other people can have it, and experience it, and enjoy it!