How a house is built

"Victory comes with faith in Jesus"
© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.
Watercolor & India Ink

I'm back!  The Mac transition wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  But, I still have more to learn about how the system works.  Plus I can always go back to my Windows laptop for reference when I get stuck.  Ok so I did have a few meltdowns.  But with the Lord's help, I was able to get to the victory part 
: )

Proverbs 24

3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; 
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled 
with rare and beautiful treasures.
This verse is beautiful.  With wisdom and understanding, our houses are built to last.  Knowledge fills the rooms with rare and beautiful treasures.  My favorite house to visit, as a little girl, wasn't perfect.  The family had 3 kids.  The upstairs wasn't finished.  Books were scattered everywhere.  It was always messy.  A piano sat in the living room and all the kids knew how to play.  I was so fascinated to see my friend was writing a book, she was only about seven years old.  I loved to visit her house. It was so full of freedom and creativity.  As for me, I had my box of crayons and loved to color.  They went to Church and believed in Jesus.

10 If you falter in a time of trouble, 
how small is your strength! 
11 Rescue those being led away to death; 
hold back those staggering toward slaughter. 
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” 
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? 
Does not he who guards your life know it? 
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
I see this as a call to service, to share my faith with others.  If I have all this wonderful treasure from God- financial, talent, spiritual, love and time, then the least I can do is use it to help others.  All the treasure we have is stored in Heaven, a gift from our Father.  He likes it when we invest it in others. 

16 …for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, 
 but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

Even though we fall as Christians, we can find forgiveness in Jesus, by confessing our sins.  It's interesting that this verse refers to falling seven times; it reminded me of a conversation between Peter and Jesus...

Jesus said: 

Matthew 18
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”  

22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

NIV

I like this verse.  I do believe there's a difference between being honest and being brutally honest.  I'm always glad to hear if I made a mistake, or if some of my artwork or writing isn't quite right and doesn't make sense.  I appreciate when my husband tells me dinner just doesn't taste as good as usual- maybe I should try something different (I'm a creative cook).  For the next meal, he tells me how delicious it is.  That's a kiss.  As a teenager, my Mom came home from the beauty parlor and asked, "What do you think of my new hair-do?"  I replied, "Oh Mom, it looks like George Washington!"  That would be a slap and not a kiss, brutal honesty.  Oy!  Life's a challenge.