Post Sunday Devotional Sunday June 29

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

I was asked a great question and a very emotion filled question following service on Sunday. The question after watching our children teach us through song what they learned during the week of VBS and hearing the importance of “training up” our children was this: “My children are grown now and I did not train them up in the right way, is there still a chance for them? Is there still a chance for me?”

First off when God is involved there is always hope. “But He (Jesus) said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27. When we make mistakes in and with our pasts it certainly does not make the future “easy.” (Even when making all good decisions in our past the future is still not “easy.”) Mistakes will most likely create roadblocks that must be overcome in the future and some of those roadblocks take years to clear, it may even take as long as the “Big Dig” and yes it may even be as costly. I’m not going to hide the fact that poor decisions make our futures tougher, but the future only becomes impossible when we decide to limit God or we decide to make up His mind for Him, for us (Selah…read that one again slowly and think). If we have made past mistakes, made past sins, then first off ask God for forgiveness. Come clean, humble yourself before Him. Then if your sins impacted others go and seek their forgiveness, confess what you know to be true, where you failed them for example. Then seek renewal. If your children are grown and you know you did not train them well, then look for new opportunities to engage them and interact with them today in 2008. Humble yourselves before them and give them your love and attention in a capacity that makes sense where they are today. It won’t be easy, but never quit. Remember God never quit on you.

The second facet that the question brings to light is this: “Is a Proverb true in every circumstance?” No they are not. Take the one we learned on Sunday. I’m sure we all know children who were trained poorly but when they became adults they have gone on to do incredible things for God and live very godly lives. I’m sure we also know children who were trained well, but once they got older they departed from the way, never to return. So can the Proverbs be trusted? Should we even bother with them? Tremper Longman III states this about the Proverbs: “The proverb is not insisting on an absolute law; it is rather putting forward a generally true principle that depends on the right time and circumstance.” In other words the secret to Proverbs is not applying the wisdom it teaches as a law but rather knowing when, where and how to apply them to your life to provide your life with the best opportunities and the best paths to travel in it.

Training up our children in the way they should go does not provide any guarantees, but it greatly increases the chances of success for our children. Spending the countless hours you do with your children in differing areas of life are well worth it when done in a loving, patient and teaching manner. Allowing them to make the mistakes in life within your home and while under your “rule” is part of their healthy training experience and that is the best place for them to fail and succeed for you have created a safe place for them to learn to live life. By following the wisdom contained within this Proverb you are adding the best potential value to the lives of your children.

Let’s take another one for example that is a bit more difficult to see the truth in.

Proverbs 26:4-5 “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.”

OK, which is it? Answer or not answer? Both. Ahhhhh! These particular verses are why the older that one is the “wiser” they tend to be. You and I if striving to become wise for God will need to learn when we should just allow the fool to go unanswered, because if we do answer we will be dragged into an endless debate that if we continue to speak will put us into a place in which, we look bad, say something harmful or just flat out waste our time. At the same time we need to learn when a situation arises that we do indeed need to answer the fool, because if we don’t something bad is going to happen. Those that have been around the block a few more times than ourselves (and haven’t simply gone around the block alone, but actually spend time with all different types of people) and are observant individuals will have an easier time recognizing which situations will end up fizzling out as opposed to one in which will have serious ramifications down the road unless something is said and dealt with at the moment. This seemingly contradictory Proverb is thus true on both ends of the spectrum for the one who is diligently seeking out the wisdom of God and for the one who truly fears Him.

The Proverbs can at times be discouraging to us when we see what and how we should have been, but they are a wealth of wise living for us when we truly dig into them. They are truly the Word of God sharp enough to cut to the very depths of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12).

So how should I approach the Proverbs…..well, let me speak it this way…..I shared with the men on the men’s retreat during our morning devotional time on Friday about a recent day in which I was starving (which seems to be every day) so I rushed by my house on the way back from an errand to grab something to eat. I will also add the fact that the day had not gone particularly well so I was not in the best of moods…I grabbed a bagel and threw it in the toaster, took it out and put the cream cheese on and I took a bite and before I took my next bite I fortunately looked at the bottom of the bagel for I spied a little spot of mold growing on it. I immediately gritted my teeth and then this thought ran through my head. “I’m just going to eat it, I don’t even care, I’m so hungry, the day isn’t going well, so why not, just eat it out of spite, it won’t kill me, I’ll teach that mold!” That was my thought; I repeat that was my thought. God’s thought to me was this: Are you really going to settle for mold? All you have to do is try another one, simply try again? Or do you want to settle for mold? Are you really that angry with life right now? To settle for mold?

Well, needless to say I did not take another bite; I threw it away and got something else to eat. The Proverbs won’t always be easy because they are something to be learned and applied. They aren’t magical formulas for life, but they are the wise observations of one who refused to settle for mold in life, but rather searched out the best in life and the best ways of life for one who desires to love and follow God.

So when the Proverbs reveal some mold in your life. Mistakes in your life. Bad decisions in your life. A bad part of your life, then simply learn from them, learn to apply the truth of the Proverb in the right circumstance at the right time and move on. Stop living in the past and move into the future wisely. Train up your children, yes absolutely, but remember train up yourself as well. Grab a new bagel there are plenty out there.

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Am I allowing my past to determine whether or not to apply today's wisdom to my future?
2. If yes, why would I allow my past to determine my future?
3. In what present areas of your life are you reacting and behaving differently because of how God has taught you via your past? Once you have brought those areas to light take a moment and...Thank Him for that, now Praise Him for that. Amen!