Tag: Proverbs

The Wise and the Fools

Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

I am raising my three teenage sons and on any given weekend there are at least 3-4 other teenage boys at my home. Let me tell you, some of the conversations I hear are crazy. These guys will talk about anything and everything around me because I have worked hard to let them know that my home is a safe place for everyone.

I have a huge burden on my heart to witness to these young men since God has placed them in my path. They all come from good families and have wonderful parents but “crowd mentality” is a real thing and sometimes they can get off on a wrong path and open the door to trouble. I do not preach to them, but I do redirect the conversation and encourage them to see the situation from a different point of view, God’s point of view. It is so important to help your children, your family and even your friends to identify when someone is being wise and when someone is being a fool because if you “walk with the wise” you will become wiser but if you “associate with fools” you can get into trouble.

The character and behavior of the people you allow into your life are also important. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” I am not saying you should not witness to people like this, but it is a slippery slope to think you will be able to change someone to be different than who they are when you first meet them.  You see, YOU cannot change them, only GOD can. You can be the wise person, doing the right things and following in the footsteps of Jesus. Others will see who you are and notice there is something different about you and your home.  It will draw them in, and they will want to know what makes you different. Then a natural conversation about Jesus can come up and the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Dear God, thank you for providing us with the best example of what it is to be wise through your son, Jesus. And thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to take over where I fall short. You have the best plans for everyone. Please help me to open my eyes to see what you are doing. Amen.

Do I Believe in God or Not?

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

For the last 16 years I have spent my life, morning, noon and night, raising my three boys.  I have worked hard to give them a stable environment where they know they are safe and loved so that they can just be kids.  I’ve tried to expose them to different kinds of sports, music, theater, movies, museums, and food so that they can try everything and figure out what they like for themselves. 

But when it comes to God, I didn’t do that.  I didn’t give them a choice.  I decided that we were going to church on Sunday morning to learn about Jesus and that was that.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I made the wrong decision.  Sometimes we must make decisions for our children because they don’t know what’s best for themselves . . . yet.  But at some point, our children are going to have to make up their own minds about whether they believe in God or not. 

The Bible says we should “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  It is my job to share Jesus with my children.  To teach them how to talk to Jesus and how to hear Jesus talking to them through His Word.  It is my job to show them how important it is to have a church family that comes together to worship and learn more about Jesus regularly.  It is my responsibility to bring Jesus into our home and to talk about how Jesus would have handled life.  It is my honor to pray for my children and with my children so that they can learn to pray too. 

But even if you do ALL these things, it is not a guarantee that your child will believe in Jesus.  That’s because it is not what you do, but what the Holy Spirit does in your child’s heart that will bring him or her closer to Jesus.   So, I encourage you to do all those things I mentioned above and more.  Give your sons and daughters every opportunity you can to hear the Word and to invite the Holy Spirit into their lives. 

Dear Lord, thank you for sending your son to die on the cross to redeem us.  Please place a hedge of protection around our children.  May their eyes see, and their ears hear what you are trying to tell them.  In Jesus name, Amen.