10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 2:10 Psalm 13 is a tender reminder that God has been good to us. As parents, we long for our children to know his goodness firsthand. How does that happen? This, of course, is the big question—but the starting point is less complicated than you might think. Allow me to ask a question from Psalm 13. Do you believe that God has been good to you?
Proverbs
38 posts
“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” —Proverbs 27:2 Karen asked the following question in response to an earlier post. I find that my children often point out the good that they do. While I do thank them at that point and express how their good blessed me, what words should I use to make sure they do not crave the praise of man? Something to the effect of…"Yes, I am so blessed by your cleaning up without being told, but even more, Your Father in heaven is pleased at what you have done. Seek His praise instead of mine." Do you have any suggestions? Good question! You’re […]
20 My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. 23 For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, 24 keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife. As we finish this series of posts on Proverbs […]
He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame. Proverbs 18:13 This post is directed to husbands and fathers. However, wives and moms are free to read as well. You may even want to forward this post to your husbands. Men, God has charged us with leading our families. The biblical basis for our leadership is found in such passages as Eph. 5:25-33 and Eph. 6:4. This leadership is an awesome responsibility. We are to represent Christ to our wives and children. In 2 Cor. 13:10 we learn that biblical leadership is to have the focus of building others up and not tearing them down. Paul says in Ephesians 4:29 that our words are […]
11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:11-12 Criticism would make few top 10 lists of favorite gifts. While the Proverbs don’t use the term criticism, there are many passages that talk about receiving a rebuke. Almost surprisingly, the Proverbs teach that receiving a rebuke is often a good thing. Chapter 9 goes so far as to say that a wise man will love you if you rebuke him (9:8). Since the Garden, our natural tendency is to avoid blame and shift responsibility to others when our actions are challenged. It is easy […]
When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Proverbs 4:3-6 The past three blogs have looked at the issue of worldview and young children. In chapter 4 of Proverbs, Solomon gives a compelling worldview—the ultimate reality check. Two powerful directives frame his worldview. The first directive, in verse 4, says, “…with all of your […]
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. In this second look at Super Bowl XLII I want to examine morality and spectacle. Solomon’s warning to guard your heart and, by implication, to teach your children to guard their hearts is one that must not be neglected. Paul addresses the same theme in Ephesians 6 where he speaks about spiritual warfare. With regard to our hearts we are never in a neutral zone or a demilitarized zone (DMZ). The enemy is always lurking. Since Satan is the Deceiver his attacks are seldom obvious. Cultural spectacle is one way to deceive us. As we noted in the last post, spectacle tends to move us […]
The message of Proverbs 4:23 is an ominous, as well as a gracious, warning. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. There is urgency in these words of Solomon. Above all else carries an ominous tone. The Holy Spirit is saying, “Pay attention!” The warning is also gracious. You are being told what is really important. Parents, you must faithfully and frequently give this warning to your children. The reason for warnings is that dangers often come when they are least expected. This weekend’s Super Bowl is no exception. After the infamous half-time “wardrobe malfunction” the NFL vowed to make the game more family-friendly, but I don’t think the league had […]