Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 10:1-5
Prov 10:1-5
A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Rom 1:29b-32
They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
For many years I wondered how the “disobedient to parents” got in the middle of this verse of what I considered to be really horrible sins. Then one day it dawned on me that Paul is listing a series of sins that relate to a person being selfish, self-centered, and without respect for anything or anyone other than self. This person does not respect authority of any kind but feels entitled to do as they please.
A wise child makes their parents happy by showing respect to God as the ultimate authority, showing respect to the parents and their authority, and then to civil authorities, because God put them in place. Without respect for authority, and with the feeling of entitlement, one will fail to apply themselves to work and provide for themselves and their families.
This respect does not come to a child automatically. It must be taught from the earliest age. When parents allow their child to throw a fit and then get their way, they have taught that child that they are entitled to get what they want. I have seen children manipulate their parents to get what they want, even as babies. The parents must be in control if they want to teach respect for authority.
I am NOT advocating abuse of any kind! If they cry for a good reason, fix it. Always show love, especially when discipline is necessary. But when we fail to teach our children respect for authority, we have prepared them for failure and heartache.
O Lord God, be with the young parents today as they try to teach their children to love you and to respect you as God. Give them wisdom to know how to bring their children up in the instruction and discipline of the Lord. Give me wisdom to be an encourager to others as they seek to live for you. Thank you for loving me. As I begin this new day, give me a new commitment to live for you better than I have done in the past. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus my brother.
Robert
