Proverbs....

A few notes from WES about MONEY:

Place finances in perspective.  The LORD says much about money in the Scriptures.  One fifth of all Jesus had to say was about money says Billy Graham. 

It is either good or bad but it is up to each of us to determine the place it finds in our life.  In my struggle to win completely over my own misdirection regarding the desire to make money, I had to examine the question, "What is driving me in my work?"  Was my motive to serve others and be prosperous that I might give to God's work?  Was I working to make more and more money at the expense of my family and my relationship with the Lord?  Or was I being diligent?  That is a fr5ightening thought and should be a caution for any person.  Introspection with honest answers became acutely necessary.  The choice was clear and the caution great.  I might have wealth, but wealth could not have me. 

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money.  Matt. 6:24

"A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.  Proverbs 21:6

Become a giver not a taker; distinquish between an honest profit motive and greed.; Protect against the "love of money"...the desire to be rich is a trap; Trust the Lord for your income; Pay your taxes cheerfully! Cap your lifestyle and give away the surplus; Focus on true riches!

FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS (Bernadine)

The book of Proverbs is an invaluable manual that is full of people skills.  It was given to us by the God Who made us, Who can teach us what we need to know about human relationships, whether it is in marriage, with the family, the neighborhood, on the job, of our wider circle of friends and acquaintances. 

Husbands and Wives:  The Lord established three human institutions in the world:  marriage and the home Gen 2:18-25; human government 9:1-6, Romans 13 and the local church Acts 1.  The home is the basic institution…as goes the home, so goes the church and the nation! 

It is a good thing to often be reminded of this wonderful gift of marriage.  The world and the local groups of the Body of Christ has brought great ridicule to this wonderful institution of marriage. 

King Solomon disobeyed God’s Law by multiplying wives and by taking wives from pagan nations that did not worship Jehovah.  Therefore, Solomon was disciplined.  Yet what Solomon wrote in Proverbs magnifies the kind of marriage that God first established in Eden…one man married to one woman for one lifetime. 2:18-25, Matt. 19:19.  The husband is to love his wife and be faithful to her Prov. 5.  The wife is not to forsake her husband and seek her love elsewhere 2:17.  They are to enjoy one another and grow in their love for each other and for the LORD.

Marriages WERE arranged by the parents…and then the couple learned to love each other.  J They expected to stay together.  Today a man and a woman learn to love each other – hopefully not just lust for one another! Get married and everyone hopes they will stay together long enough to raise the children.  L

        The husband…19:14, 18:22  Should never take for granted this gift from the LORD.  He should love her and be loyal to her all the days of his life.  The Scripture puts on him the responsibility of guiding the home according to the Wisdom of God.  Where two people love the LORD and love each other, God can guide and bless them.  It is not a 50-50 arrangement…they are two becoming ONE…TOTAL devotion to one another and to the LORD.

        The wife…she will either build the home or tear it down 14:1.  She can be a builder or a destroyer.  She must be faithful to her husband 12:4  A crown or a cancer…beauty is not the only thing the husband should look for: it is also important that a wife have wisdom and discretion 11:22.  A wife can certainly cause her husband problems…19:13, 21:9,19, 25:24,  27:15-16.  The Lord hates family discord 6:19.

Proverbs 31:10-31 is a fine description of the ideal wife:  Poem, acrostic to aid in memorizing (successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  1.  She is a woman of character v. 10-12.  I Peter 3:1-6.  Character is not changed after marriage.  One should never marry someone in the hope of changing them!  Disappointment is ahead!!!  The character of the wife gives the husband confidence to trust her.

2. She is a woman who is not afraid to work!! V. 13-22,24    3. She is a generous person v. 20, 14:21 19:17   4. She makes it easy for her husband to do his work v. 23.  Does not want to take his place…she does her work and makes it easier for him to do his.  “city gates”…business dealings.    Wise is the man who recognizes his wife’s strengths and lets her compensate for his weaknesses.  Doing this is not a sign of personal failure, nor is it rebellion against the divine order I Cor. 11:3.  Both leadership and submission in a home are evidences of love and obedience and the one does not nullify the other.  5. She is confident as she faces the future 31:25.  Clothed means that it is a part of your life and reveals itself in your character and conduct.  I Tim.2:9-11, Col. 3:8-14.  6. She is a capable teacher of wisdom 31:26. Solomon used the woman to personify Wisdom…this Godly wife does the same.  7. She is an attentive overseer of the house. V. 27.  Not idle, notices details, manages the household and does her work faithfully day and night.  8. A woman worthy of praise v. 28-29. It is tragic when the members of a family take one another for granted and do not express appreciation for one another.  Dad sets the example.  9. Her secret is that she fears the LORD v. 30…key to the chapter!  I Peter 3:1-6.  10.  Her life is a testimony to others! V.31 11:16

This tribute to a Godly wife and mother tells every Christian woman what she can become, every Christian man the kind of wife for whom he ought to be looking and praying for, reminds the prospective husband that he’s better be walking with the Lord and growing in his spiritual life so that he will be worthy of such a wife if and when God brings her to him.

PARENTS AND CHILDREN:  Psa. 127:3 Children were considered rewards not punishments; opportunities not obstacles; investments not burdens that produce dividends. 

Parents are to supply their children with their basic needs and other important provisions… 20:7, 31:28 Benjamin Franklin said that example was the best sermon…suggesting of course that the way parents act in the home teaches the children more than they will learn anywhere else.

14:26.  The enemy wants to penetrate that fortress and kidnap our children and grandchildren, but Godly parents keep the walls strong and the spiritual weapons ready.

Instruction…1:8. 19:275:12-13.  The Word should be the basic textbook in the educational system, but even if that were still true, the Bible in the school cannot replace the Bible in the home.  Many parents sacrifice time and money to help their children excel in music, sports, and social activities…how much more of a treasure if they would be even more concerned that their children excel in knowing and obeying the Word of God.  10:1, 15:20, 23:15-16, 24:25, 27:11, 19:3 13:1.  Claim the Word of God in the way that He intended:  “Train up a child in the way He should go, according to his own individual bent, and even so when he is old, he will not depart from it!”  It says that if they are raised in the wisdom and ways of the Lord they won’t stray away at all.  Even in old age, they will follow the wisdom of the Lord.  It is not laying an ironclad guarantee but is laying down a general principle.  As the twig is bent, so grows the tree – an old proverb.  We need to be bending while the tree is tender and pliable. 

We often claim and state this verse as saying that he will likely depart but he will return!

Certainly that does not mean that when children stray that we ever cease to pray for them, never despair and trust God to bring wayward children to their senses. 

Parents should lovingly guide their children and prepare them for adult life.  If any of the children end up sluggards 10:5, gluttons 28:7 fornicators 29:3 rebels 19:26, 20:20  30:11,12, 17…it should be IN SPITE OF the parents’ training and not BECAUSE OF IT!

Loving discipline…The Bible does NOT teach blind brutality in disciplining children.  The emphasis in on love, because this is the way God disciplines His children.  3:11-12, 13:24.  The Scripture gives instructions to not provoke your children, to keep your temper in check.  Discipline has to do with correcting character faults in a child while there is still time to do it 22:15.  19:18.  23:13-14…do not be a willing party to his death…a vote against discipline is a vote in favor of premature death.  We should correct our children regarding disobedience and wrong attitudes.  Obedience is being told one time in a conversational tone and the child follows the words of his parent completely, promptly and with a good attitude.  29:17.

FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS:  The basis for friendship…true friendship is based on love because only love will endure the tests that friends experience as they go through life together.  17:17.  We can have many companions and no real friends. 18:24.  Friendship is something that has to be cultivated and its roots must go deep. 

Choose close friends carefully.  12:26  13:20  Friendship based on money are destined to be disappointing.  Also friendships with someone with a bad temper and others…22:24-25 14:7 24:21-22,   29:27.  Believers need to heed Psa. 1:1-2, II Cor. 6:14-18

The 17:17 18:24 … LOVE!  LOYALTY!  27:10.  KEEP a confidence! 25:9-10, 11:13, 20:19…gossip can ruin a friendship 16:28…17:9, I Peter 4:8

CONTROL OF THE TONGUE…11:9, 18:17 11:12 24:28-29, 25:18 26:18-19.  LOVINGLY HONEST  27:6 Eph. 4:15  Prov 29:5  28:23  DON’T TAKE FRIENDS FOR GRANTED!  18:19  Matt. 18:15-25 steps to take when there is a problem.  ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER  27:9, 17, Eph. 4:15.  EXERCISE TACT AND BE SENSITIVE TO EACH OTHERS’ FEELINGS.  Don’t wear out your welcome  25:17. Respect their privacy.  27:14 Beware the friend who loudly and frequently praises you and tells you what a good friend you are.  True friendship does not depend on such antics…especially if he wakes you up to do it!  Love is sensitive to other peoples’ feelings and needs and true friends try to say the right thing at the right time in the right way 25:20

A happy family, encouraging friends, and good neighbors…What blessings these are from the Lord!  Let us be sure we do our part to make these blessings a reality in our lives and in the lives of others.