The Weekly Focal Point - July 18
Proverbs & Parenting
When we read through the Proverbs we often forget that much of the book is framed as a parental plea to children. The collection commences with the words, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 1:8). Of course we ought to go to the Proverbs for God’s wisdom regarding our own lives, but what an overlooked resource when we fail to prayerfully read this inspired book with our children in view. Solomon boldly warns his child of the deceptive enticements of temptation (Proverbs 1:10), the corruptive influence of rebellious friends (Proverbs 1:15), the value of God’s painful discipline (Proverbs 3:11), the incomparable rewards of righteous choices (Proverbs 4:10), the repercussions of sexual sins (Proverbs 5:20), the enslavement of financial debt (Proverbs 6:1), the grief that a rebellious child brings to his parents (Proverbs 10:1), the shameful by-products of laziness (Proverbs 10:5), the incomparable joy a child’s wise choices bring to parents (Proverbs 23:24), and the necessity of the fear of God (Proverbs 24:21), just to name a few. So if the dialog with your kids has degenerated to “So, how was school today?” perhaps you should take a cue from the book of Proverbs and engage in the kind of conversation that your children could only get from a loving and godly parent.
-- Pastor Mike
JULY OFFER
It seems like the goal of people today is to figure out how to get everything they want. Unfortunately this seems to even cross over into Christian life. Some of the best selling Christian books are about this very topic. However, God is not a celestial genie in a bottle. In fact, he tells us that "he who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income" (Ecc. 5:10). The goal is to be satisfied with whatever God has provided for us. Contentment is the biblical standard Christians should strive for. With this in mind, I would like to recommend a book by William Barcley called The Secret to Contentment. Drawing from Scripture and the teachings of Puritan writers, Barcley provides wise biblical counsel on finding true satisfaction in our “never enough” age. Get your copy of The Secret of Contentment for a donation of any amount this month.
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