wisdom in the streets

"Wisdom shouts in the street, 
She lifts her voice in the square;
At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
'How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple minded?
And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools hate knowledge?
'Turn to my reproof, 
Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; 
I will make my words known to you.'" (Proverbs 1:20-23).

Recently I opened a Pinterest account, for the sole purpose of gearing up inspiration for the wedding I'm shooting in April. 
As I scanned the home page, I was reminded of this: "..the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it"(Matthew 7:13-14). 

And I wondered: which gate have I chosen? Many a day I would say, "The narrow".  But most days I default to the wide. It is much easier to "leave the companion of [my] youth and forget the covenant of [my] God"(Proverbs 2:17) rather than "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness"(Matthew 6:33). 
Then my eye tracks down the page of Proverbs 3 and I read: "For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; but He is intimate with the upright"(v.32). 
My soul would trade abomination for intimacy with the Lord any day. But my sinful heart leads my directives astray, sugar-coating sin and excusing transgressions. 
Oh, how I long for the day when "knowledge will be pleasant to [my] soul" (Proverbs 2:10)! 
"If you seek her as silver 
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord
And discover the knowledge of God"(vs.4-5). 

I pray that I would seek her as silver, and seek becoming not of this world. 
I pray that I would search for her as hidden treasures, and search for the truth.

I want to be the one who builds her house on the Rock. 
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock" (Matthew 7:26-27).

Only then will I be able to survive the rain, the floods, the wind of this world and live for Christ... And then may I shout His wisdom in the streets.
    
    "Now Lord, I would be Yours alone    
    And live so all might see
    The strength to follow Your commands
    Could never come from me.
    Oh Father, use my ransomed life
    In any way You choose.
    And let my song forever be
    My only boast is You.
     Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
    Hallelujah! Jesus is my life"
                                      -All I Have is Christ, Jordan Kauflin ©2008

xo,

| Madi