But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol. Proverbs 9:18
We now come to the closing verse of the this passage. We have been warned of the dangers of listening to Folly and her call to live foolishly. We've seen where she dwells and from where she is callling us. We've also seen that she is calling us with deception and lies. But the final warning that is given to us has to do with where those who listen to her wind up going. One of the reasons we listen to the call of foolishness is because we do not realize where we will wind up spending eternity if we follow her counsel. We are told that we do not know, as we foolishly listen and follow her counsel that we will end up dead. We will go to the dead - because that is where all her guests find themselves in the end. What an interesting picture this paints for us. She invites guests to come and partake of what she offers to them. Yet what she feeds them, though appetizing at first - winds up killing them spiritually. What a hostess she is to us - lying to us and deceiving us into eating what will bring us death. This gives us another clue to where she is from. The other one who did this did it in the garden - with the offer of food to Adam and Eve. Satan offered them what seemed to be food that was delightful to the eye and that also looked good for food. But when they partook of it all they received was death. The same lie that was offered in the garden is the same lie that is still being offered to people by Folly today. And it has the same consequences - it yields death for us instead of life. A wise man will learn how to discern when foolishness is calling. It is not an easy thing to do because we are fallen - and our tendencies are to walk in such things. It is only as we renew our minds with God's Word that we will be able to detect the lies of the evil one, the calls of foolishness to us, and the deception that is involved. But no matter what the cost for us - to discern foolishness' call is vitally important for us. It is also vital that we take the time to instruct and advise our sons and daughters to do the same. May God bring up a generation that learns to reject Folly's call - and instead - have our ears and spirits in tune with the voice of God's Spirit instead.
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"Whoever is naive, let him turn in here," And to him who lacks understanding she says, "Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Proverbs 9:16-17
Up to this point we have only had limited information upon which to examine Folly's call to us. We have had to use our understanding and insight to see that such a call is detrimental to us. But when we come to verse 16 of this passage we no longer have the slightest doubt that the call to foolishness is a call to wicked, sinful choices and to a life embracing deception and lies. "Stolen water is sweet." This is the statement that Folly offers to us. This is her advice to those seeking to make their paths straight in life. This phrase is actually saying to us that stolen water is sweeter than water that you have by normal legal means. We are being told that there is something about immoral, illegal behavior that makes the water taste just better than it normally does. The quest of stealing it adds something - maybe a sense of adventure and risk - that just drinking your own water does not provide. There is a biblical allusion here that Keil and Delitzsch offer that is fascinating to me. A passage in Proverbs chapter 5 is mentioned where we are told to "Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well." (Proverbs 5:15). What is counselled here is that drinking stolen water or water that is NOT from your own spring or well - is compared to adultery. If that is the case here in Proverbs chapter 9, then this passage explodes with meaning - and warning. Folly will encourge you to drink sexually from a fountain other than that of your own marriage. Adultery and fornication are being encouraged. Steal a drink from your neighbor's marriage - or from an unmarried woman's life - that kind of sex is far more sweet than being faithful to your own marriage. This is wicked counsel of the worst order! Whether or not this refers to stealing water - or adultery and fornication - either way, Folly is out to destroy us. The second thing she says to us is that ". . . bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Here again Follly is saying to us that we need to be deceptive. Simply eating bread with family or friends is not enough. We need to be eating bread in secret - which intimates that we are doing something that necessitates hiding from others. Anyone with an eating or drinking problem will tell you that when you begin to hide your eating or drinking from others and do it secretly - you've got a serious problem. When I sneak a cookie - or buy some kind of food I know I shouldn't be eating - it is amazing how often I eat this food away from the sight of family - who lovingly would warn me that eating that way is not the healthiest choice for me. The sad thing is that Folly is lying to us. She is saying to us that even the water and the food taste different when we sin in eating and drinking it. Normal living, holy living - is a drag - and only people who are boring live that way all the time. Live on the edge - do something out of the ordinary - live for yourself a little. These are the messages of the fool - and they are heard and heeded by other fools. Amazingly - the truth is that God sees you even when you drink your stolen water - when you commit adultery in secret - or when you eat your bread hidden from the sight of others. God sees - and He will eventually expose you and show your folly. It is far better to live in open obedience - than to listen to lies that secret sin is better. This, though, is something about which we must absolutely warn our children. These lies WILL come to them and it would be much to their benefit to be able to recognize them as lies when they arrive. A wise father will take these things to heart and will take the time to faithfully teach his children to avoid them. Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:26-27
Watch means to weight out or to ponder. The idea here is that someone is pondering evil and then choosing to avoid it. It means to seriously think about the path your feet are going to take - and choose to take them in a direction pleasing to the Lord. Sometimes we don't think enough about the path of our feet. We just act and go along with our lives. We don't take the time to think about where we're going - what we're doing - and where it is going to lead when things reach a conclusion. We are told that if we will do this we will have all our ways established. Ways is "derek" which again is the Hebrew word that refers to our lifestyle - the way we're going in life. To have that way or that lifestyle established means to have it firm and fixed. It means our lifestyle is one that is upright and good. We will have a life that matters and just as important - one that will be steadfast in what pleases and honors the Lord. There is also a sense in which we are being told our lives will last - whereas the worldling and the wicked man will only be temporary. When we look at the way of our feet, we need to know not to turn to the right or the left. This is assuming that our feet are on God's paths and ways and not our own. When we turn to the right or the left, we are choosing to depart from God's paths and walk in our own, the world's ways, or those of the devil. Which ever of these three are true, we will find ourselves in a way that is wrong - and ultimately a way that will hurt and cost us. The only turn we should make in life is one away from evil. The word "turn" here is a Hebrew word that means to go away from something, to desert it, to quit, to keep far away. When we see evil we need to remove ourselves from it - depart - honesly - RUN! To hang around evil is to court its greater influence in our lives. When we see evil we should hide ourselves from it. The longer we remain in the presence of evil, the more likely we are to participate in it. Thus the wise man runs from evil. Think about where you're going. It is important to do this - to consider our lives and examine them from time to time. It is too easy to begin to wander from the ways of God - too easy to take a path that leads us away from the Lord. That is why this Proverb helps us so much - it encourages us to think through where our journey reaches its destination. We think about the end of things. When we do this - we will see the wisdom of turning away from evil and keeping clear of the wicked one and his ways. Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Proverbs 4:25
Godly fathers warn their sons about distractions. It was a distraction that led to the fall of mankind. It was when Satan got the man and the woman to look at the one thing they probably should not have set in their sights that they were distracted enough to make the mistake of not just look at it - but partake of the forbidden fruit. In much the same way, our sons are being constantly given things to look at that are not wise for them to put in the path of their vision. What we look at long enough - will so fill our vision that we want to partake of it. That can get our sons in all kinds of trouble. Dad speaks frankly with his sons, telling them to have their eyes look directly in front of them. He says this again with greater intensity telling the boys to let their gaze be fixed straight in front of them. This is important for sons because they are going to face a tremendous amount of visual stimulation from the world. We are warned against a worldliness where we live for the lust of our eyes. This warning should remind us as fathers that what our eyes see can stimulate very strong desires that cry out for fulfillment. David had a vision of a beautiful woman bathing in front of his eyes one evening in Jerusalem. He could have looked away, but rather than do this, David fixed his gaze upon Bathsheba. Soon, looking was not enough for David - he had to have more. That look led to a horrible set of problems, beginning with adultery, and ending with a devastating set of consequences for his entire family - indeed, for all of Israel. Oh, how we need to use such things to warn our sons against the sins of the eyes. How we need to warn them to keep their vision fixed straight in front of them. They need to have a vision that dominates their lives - and it needs to be one where they focus on Christ. Paul told us that when we gaze at Him with unveiled faces that we will be transformed into the very image that is set before our eyes. May we be diligent in encouraging our sons to have that vision be the Lord Jesus Christ! Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you.
Proverbs 4:24 Any godly father who understands spiritual things knows that when urging his sons to have godly hearts, he must also address in almost the same breath how they use their mouths. Jesus taught us the truth that it is out of the mouth that we know the condition of the heart of a man. He told us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Therefore when we take the time to examine the things that are coming out of our mouths, we will be able to better know what is lodging in our hearts. The father frankly speaks to his sons about the need to put away a deceitful mouth and devious speech. The first term here about a deceitful mouth has to do with perversion and deceitfulness. It is a Hebrew term used to describe a person who speaks without any integrity in God's eyes. He would rather speak deceptive things than the truth, immoral things rather than moral. Scripture speaks of such a man as an evil, worthless man in Proverbs 6:12. Our society is growing more and more coarse all the time. We know and see this through the language that we hear in the public square - and from the entertainment industry. I may sound old fashioned, but I remember speaking with my mouth about how an entire theater gasped in horror when Frank Butler cursed at the end of "Gone With the Wind." It was a ground breaking moment, but unfortunately was a harbinger of things to come. Now, what that one actor said is common fare during prime time TV and is considered nothing to us today. The language that is spewed at all hours of the day should shock us, but unfortunately we just yawn at the spiritual depravity of our day and move on with life. The only way back to a godly, moral society is to rear a generation of sons who no longer consider such things commonplace. Unfortunately for us, one of the problems is the current attitude of the church. We have moved from a cursing society to a cursing church. The rave of the day among some of our youth is the rise of conservative, evangelical preachers who litter their sermons with language that at one time made the world gasp in theaters. This development, while seeming to be really cool to some of our youth - will only result in a continued increase in those whose mouth is revealing a heart filled with perversion. Some may balk at this assessment, but when we see that the godly father commands his son to put such a mouth away - can this be too far off from the truth? The second command of the father is for the son to put "devious" speech far from him. "Luz" is the Hebrew word used here and it means to be crooked or perverse. The idea here is to deviate from God. When our speech deviates from God's standards and God's ways - and in all honesty, from God's Word, we are headed in a very dangerous pathway. Knowing that some will read this wondering just what good, godly speech is - and what words that we should avoid - I want to comment very pointedly about such things. Our current crop of curse words are focused on some very interesting things. A couple of curse words deal with defacation. When we read in the Old Testament that God required Israel to take a shovel and cover up their waste - it only goes without saying that speech that uses such words on a regular basis probably ought to be buried as well. The other more common curse words seem to center around a crass way of speaking about the reproductive process. Once again it is fascinating that God's commentary about this is that the marriage bed is holy and that sexual relations between a man and woman should remain in their own bed - and not in the common conversation of society. Some will scoff at such statements - but I would argue with them as to what kind of biblical admonition encourages such speech? Paul writes to the Ephesians, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification." Wholesome words are those words that are not rotten - and since God does not encourage worldliness, but greatly discourages it in 1 John 2:15-17 - we might also do well in discouraging speech that far more resembles the world than resembles the Word. Fathers, we need to encourage a new generation of young men who speak so as to please God in all that they say. Their hearts need to glorify God with what dwells in them - and their mouths need to reveal the godliness of their lives by speaking those words that are good for edification according to the need of the moment for those who are listening. It would bless our society to see men who once again value a common-speak that does not offend or shock - but that blesses and encourages. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 The heart is the key to walking with God. When the heart is changed and sanctified, the life will be godly and will be pleasing to the Lord. But when a man's heart is not guarded and kept for the Lord, there will be problems. This is why the father who is speaking frankly with his sons, will urge them to do all that is necessary to watch over their hearts. The word "watch" used here is the Hebrew word, "natsar" and it means to watch over something, to guard and to keep it. This word was used to describe how a person is to maintain something that is entrusted to them. Whether we truly realize it or not, God has given us our hearts. He has given us life and a direction in which it should be going. Once this wonderful gift of salvation and a new heart is ours by God's grace - it is our duty to protect it - and to make sure that we watch over what God has done in our lives. This "watching" is to be done with all diligence. The word used here is "mismar" and it means to have someone put into custody, to guard them. It speaks of things that are in a condition of being watched and controlled. What a fascinating word to use here. We are to watch our hearts and do so with a diligence that would be reminiscent of a prison - or the watch of a military unit at night. This is no casual affair, but is something that is of the utmost seriousness. God is absolutely serious about what we are doing with our hearts. The reason for this "due diligence" over our hearts is because our hearts are vital to our spiritual lives. The father tells his son that from his heart flow the very springs of life itself. A literal way of translating this passage is to say, "from out of it are the issues of life." William Harvey, in the seventeeth century, discovered the circulation of blood in the human body. This one discovery absolutely revolutionized science and medicine. Over 2500 years before Harvey, the writer of Proverbs, inspired by the Holy Spirit, accurately spoke of how the heart was the very location where springs of life flowed out into the rest of the body. The heart pumping the blood of the body through the arteries - is the very wellspring of life for the entire body. If we watch out for the health of our heart - we are doing what must be done for a healthy body. Kill the heart - and the body will die. In a similar way, the heart is the seat of our spiritual life. Keep our hearts and we will maintain a life of holiness and godliness. Let our hearts go and we will find that the life of God will no longer flow freely through us and in us. The godly father impresses such things on his son. He makes frank statements to his boys about the need to maintain a vital spiritual life where a heart for God is not just maintained, but is encouraged to flourish. The father who takes this job seriously will be the father who rears sons to be men of God. Dad, are you challenging your sons to maintain hearts for God and the things of God? For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Proverbs 4:22
The wise father will place before his sons that fact that living according to God's ways and commands is the very best way to live. Living this way is how to experience, "Life and life abundantly" as Jesus said in John 10:10. He will also let them know that God's ways are also the most healthy way to live for their physical bodies as well. This should be almost a "no-brainer" when we grasp that God, Who is omniscient and all-wise, would of course know the very best way for us to conduct ourselves for the most healthy and meaningful life the few years we have on this planet. The father begins by frankly telling his son that the ways of God are life to those who find them. Jesus warned us in John that the thief, who is the devil, comes to kill, steal, and destroy. We should take note that also in 1 John we read that the world lies in the power of the evil one. Therefore it should be no surprise to us that the world and its ways are destructive to our health and well-being. To follow the world is to ultimately harm ourselves. God made the world around us to function in a certain way. To follow Him is to follow the designer and creator of all that we see and know. When God gave His Law to Israel He said something very powerful in Deuteronomy 30, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply . . . I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days . . ." (Deuteronomy 30:15-16,19-20) God made it clear to His people that His ways were best - actually they were penultimate over all other ways of living. To love, serve, and obey Him would bring them great blessing and life. Again, He tells Israel this in Deuteronomy 32:46-47 when He says, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life." The God who gave these very frank statements to Israel - also commanded the fathers of that nation to impress those same words upon the hearts of their sons. So all we are reading here in Proverbs is a restatement of what God has commanded previously. The father also seeks to say to his son that obeying the Lord's commands is also "health" to the body. Here is where things get fascinating. I attended Auburn University for my undergraduate work. While there I knew a couple of brothers in Christ who endeavored to study the Scriptures and test the Old Testament dietary laws to see why God gave them. Later I also read extensive articles out of a ministry in Chicago where doctors began treating patients based upon God's dietary and cleanliness laws. Both groups adamantly stated to me that what God gave in the Old Testament is the most astounding public health system known to mankind. If these commands were followed, it would lead to a marvelously healthy society. When the Jewish slums followed these laws in Europe - the beubonic plague did not affect their populations. Another way to say this is - the commandments of God are health to our bodies. Dads, we need to speak frankly to our sons concerning life - and what enhances and offers life to them. The world will not tell them such things, in fact, the world will tell them the opposite. We are the ones God has designed to speak such things to them. Actually, we are commanded to do so. Blessed is the son who has a wise father who will speak frankly with him about life - and life abundantly! Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. Proverbs 4:21
The father next reminds his sons that what is before his eyes will be what eventually dominates his choices. He reminds him to not let the sayings he gives him - and the Scripture upon which they are based to depart from his eyes. There is so much in our society that tries desperately to grab the attention of our eyes. Even though we may place the Word of God and the commandments of God before the eyes of our children, they must be warned that there will be a concerted effort to have their eyes drawn away from such things. Think about the advertising business for a moment with me. They spend millions of dollars researching just what images have the greatest impact. Each year during the Super Bowl, companies spend over a million dollars for 30-60 seconds just to get the greatest impact upon the eyes of those who watch that event. They do it becuase they want the images and the thoughts that come with them to stick with us. And to be honest with ourselves, we have to admit that the majority of those images and messages run contrary to the Word of God. This is why we need to impress upon our sons the importance of not letting God's commandments and God's Word depart from our sight. People ask me why I urge people to have a DAILY quiet time where they read and meditate upon God's Word. It is because when they walk out the door to begin their day, they need that word impressed and engraved upon their very souls and hearts. That is what the father says here to his son. Keep these words - these sayings - these quotations in your heart! There will be hundreds of messages a day that will run contrary to them - seeking to have us live for something that is 180 degrees counter to God's will for our lives. But do not let these images and these things dominate your sight - keep your eyes fixed on the Word of God - and the wil of God as it is expressed to you there. Remember the number of times we are warned of the wiles of the immoral woman. Almost every time that warning includes a warning not to let ourselves be captured by her appearance. 1 John 2:15-17 warns as well that one of the things we will face consistently is a temptation to live by the lust of our eyes. Proverbs 23:26 and the verses that follow it are a similar appeal, "Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways." This appeal comes moments before the father warns his son of the dangers of the immoral woman and her appeal to his eyes - and the way that alcohol appeals to the eyes as we look into glass as it is placed before us. The eyes are the portal to our souls. If we look long enough and hard enough at something it can have a powerful affect upon us. This works both ways with us. Paul told the Corinthians that as we gaze on the glory of the Lord - we can be transformed into that same glory as the Holy spirit works within us. Dads, focus your sons on the Word - and warn them about the ways that their eyes will be used against their own best interests. Don't hide from them the way that the world will make its appeal. Call them to fix their eyes on the Word of God - so that the Word they see will move through their sight into their hearts where it will transform them more and more to God's ways and God's character. What they see will affect them. Make sure they know that in this battle for their soul, the one thing to keep before them is God's Word. My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Proverbs 4:20
Proverbs is filled with admonitions from a father to a son. This is a large part of this book - the importance of a father teaching his children the things of God. This is something that has been lost to several generations in our country - and we can easily see the damage that results from it in multiple generations of American men. The father speaks bold words to his son - telling him to pay attention to the word that he speaks to him. Dads, there is little that is as important as being able to speak this way to your sons. This does not happen overnight because you decide to do it. Cultivate this with your sons by spending time with them. Turn off the television and put down whatever it is that you think is so important - and build a relationship with your boys! This dad gained the ability to say such things by being a part of his son's life. Having gained that position, he speaks boldly telling his son to pay attention to his words. Have you made it clear to your son that the things you say to him are important? This is no small matter. If a father practices neglect of his sons early, they will see no place for his words. His words are spoken so seldom that they do not matter to him. If a father plays the fool all the time his son will not take him seriously. If a father is harsh his son will reject his words because there is no love in them. But the father who consistently loves and speaks with his son - both about fun and serious things - will win his heart. When this takes place his son will know that the words of his Father truly matter - and he will pay close attention to them. This dad wants his son to truly hear - and grasp the things that he says. The idea behind paying close attention to him means to listen carefully so as to heed and obey. He also says that his son should "incline" his ear to his father's sayings. The word incline has the idea of stretching out and extending something. It is a call for his son to stretch out his ears - to strain himself to hear what his dad is saying to him. The Hebrew word "emer" here has an interesting aspect to it. When used in its root form, this term meant a saying, but it usually also involved a quotation spoken after it. For those of us who walk with God, this is pretty amazing. It is a reminder that not only do we need to give our kids wise commands for their moral choices - but that we also need to include a quotation afterward. That quotation needs to be from the Scriptures. It is so vital that our moral statements have true moral authority. So, we quote the Word to our sons as we tell them the way that they should walk and live in life. Men, it is so important that we speak to our sons. It is important that they hear from us the morals and the values that they should have in life. It is also important that as we share these things we let them know that our values and morals do not arise out of the ash pits of American society and the shifting sands of public or political opinion. Our valures are rooted in God's revelation of Himself in Scripture - in the Bible. They have their footings dug deep into the 10 commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and the writings of Pau, Peter, and John. This is the way to have a son who has strong values - and values that will not be blown and tossed like the waves driven by the wind. Be a strong man - speak strong things - and rear strong sons! The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you. Proverbs 23:24-25
God has blessed my wife and I with 6 children, of which 2 of them are sons. Our testimony as a family is an interesting one because it involves being caught up in religious, church-y living - and then later being in relationship with a very merciful, loving God. Please bear with me, because all this actually relates to the proverb for today. Solomon tells us that the father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who sires a wise son will be glad in him. At present I am the father of two sons who are righteous - and who are seeking to live their lives according to God's wisdom. Oh, by the way - I also greatly rejoice in God's goodness for giving me such sons. To write such things can be extremely dangerous, so let me explain what all this means - giving all the glory to God. I am a pastor. I have been one for some 20+ years. During that time God has been very gracious to me - showing me mercy extensively in the midst of a great deal of stupidity. There were times that I was so given to "the ministry" that I did not love my family as I should have loved them. I also was so caught up in trying to have a "great church" in the eyes of men - that I was a horrible example of what a man of God should be - not just to my family, but to the people of Calvary Chapel. A lot of this came crashing down when a biblical discipline situation arose in our fellowship - and spiritual carnage resulted. What I (and yes I emphasize I) had built came crashing down just like Jesus said it would in Matthew 7:27-28. This not only happened at the church, but my own sons were rejecting it as well. Then God broke me - wonderfully, graciously, mercifully broke me. I spent about 2 months weeping, confessing sin to my wife and my children - and to the church as well. It was during that time that I laid all my plans for me being a great pastor and preacher at the feet of Jesus - and decided I just wanted to love, know, and obey Him. God was so merciful in responding that the repentance and brokenness by drawing my two sons to Himself and making them righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. He slowly began to transform my sons, my family, and the fellowship He so graciously allowed me to continue to pastor. We are far from perfect - but as long as we seek Him and do what He says - things will go well. This Proverb says that the father of the righteous will greatly rejoice. That does not mean that the father rears his sons to be righteous in themselves - for that would only be self-righteousness. He rears his sons to see that the only way they can be righteous is to turn in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ. Having their righteousness in Him - they can begin to walk as godly men - looking to and trusting Him at all times. What the father seeks to do is to be sure that he has "wise" sons. Since we know that wisdom is seeing all things from God's perspective - and making choices according to that way of seeing things - this means that his boys learn to have a biblical worldview, and live according to God's will rather than their own. If a father sees this - he rejoices. That wonderful gift has been given to me two times over. It also has been given to me in spite of my early years of stupidity and self-driven living. The writer of Proverbs says to the sons that they should let their father and mother be glad - especially the mother who gave birth to them. Too many children spend their lives trying to please their parents by doing whatever they want them to do. That may seem like a contradiction to what I just said - but it is not. If a parent is wise in the way that they rear their child, they will make certain that their child knows that the most important thing in life is to live by God's will - not just by what their parents desire. Of course, this includes the commandment to honor and obey parents. But a wise mom and dad are certain to direct their child only to hear their voice as a precursor to listening to God's voice. The wise parent also knows that during their teen years their children need to transition from just listening to a parent - to listening to God and doing as He says. A child who remains dependent upon a parent throughout their lives will not be a wise child. They have to come to the point of starting their own family - and rearing another generation of kids who start by listening to their parents, and who later in life transfer that teachability to God's voice and the Scriptures. My wife and I have strived to do this with our children. We've failed as often as we've succeeded - with all successes being due to following God's counsel. But know this - it is not easy - and parenting is not for cowards. If you do this properly - your children will marry - and will leave the home. If we rear them to treasure the gospel and take seriously their responsiblity to God and to the world for proclaiming it - there is a good chance they may take seriously that command to go to all the nations. We've already watched three do this - and a fourth is probably on her way. That means as we rejoice, there is also a little bit of heart-ache as we send them to the ends of the earth - not knowing if they will ever return. But then again, what greater joy can we have as parents than to follow the example of God Himself, Who gave His Son away so that the nations might be saved? |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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