"A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have a common bond, the LORD is the maker of them all" (verses 1-2).
A name carries a legacy with it. Wealth can be gained and lost, but a bad legacy cannot be escaped. And rich or poor, all are made by God, and all will one day stand before Him and give an account of the legacy they left. So it is better to seek a good name, an honorable reputation, than wealth. It is better to be spoken well of than to be well to do.
"The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; he who guards himself will be far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" (verses 4-6).
Train a child to love and fear The Lord. Teach him to walk humbly before God. Teach him to live righteously, and model it for him. As he sees it lived out and is taught to follow in the footsteps it will become who he is. Train a child in the way he should go, walk side by side with him and model it for him, and his life we be lived in righteousness.
"Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, to make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer him who sent you? Do not rob the poor because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate; for the LORD will plead their case and take the life of those who rob them. Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself. Do not be among those who give pledges, among those who become guarantors for debts" (verses 17-26).
This book was written marking the way a child should go. It is full of wisdom to live by, and it breathes the words of life. All throughout these pages we see how to walk humbly and live righteously before God. It is crucial we live by them, and even more crucial that we teach our children to do the same.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
No comments:
Post a Comment