Proverbs 22 - 9.1.26
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 22:6
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
OBSERVATION: Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote the Book of Proverbs under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which gives us practical insight and guidelines for life. Young people mattered very much to Solomon, and his special instructions to them are found in Proverbs 1:1-9,18.
The word “youth” is used in the Old Testament to apply to children from pre-birth through the first 20 years of life. “The way he should go” relates to the way God has created every normal human being. “Even Jesus in His human nature progressed through these natural phases. Jesus, as a young boy increased in wisdom (mentally) and stature (physically), and in favor with God (spiritually), and with people (socially)”. (Quoted from Gene Getz Life Essential Study Bible).
APPLICATION: “When parents ignore this growth process, they can create frustration, anxiety, discouragement, insecurity, and even anger, which can lead to rebellion. When this kind of resentment becomes persistent, children often make decisions to reject and “depart from” the will of God”.
As a parent of 2 grown sons now, I can look back and remember crying out to God countless times, especially in their teens, because of the mistakes I made misunderstanding their growth process, which in turn created negative reactions on their part. We once went to a family seminar and I heard something I will never forget from the speaker, “Rules without relationship lead to rebellion”. Well… I was what you would call a drill sergeant kind of mom, and was very strict with our 2 boys; a “mother hen”, and rules were VERY important, and THEY WERE ENFORCED! I was also known to raise my voice LOUDLY! This mother made ALOT of mistakes while trying to learn and understand the unique way God created our 2 boys, and how to nurture them accordingly. Even though I was young, immature and insecure when I became a mother, God showed up when I needed Him most, and lovingly forgave me, taught me how to correct my ways, and gave me a brand new start! God has used His Word to teach and train me to be a better mother to our sons, and to their children, and to their children. (Yes, we are now GREAT grand-parents!)
PRAYER: Thank You Lord for my children and for our grand-children. I pray You will help me to be a model of faith, hope, and love to them all. Thank You that You have heard my prayers, and that they will all come to know You and serve You well. May our entire family be part of the Church - the family of God, who walk worthy of You, and who have been called into Your kingdom and glory. Amen
- Robin Orefice
Proverbs 21 - 8.31.26
Scripture
Proverbs 21:25 NIV
“The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.”
Observation
In this particular proverb written by King Solomon, he writes that a lazy person’s desires and dreams destroy them because they refuse to do the actual work to achieve their goals. Instead of taking action, they sit idle and expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter.
Application
Are you willing to put the work in to achieve your goals in life? Or do you expect things to just be handed to you?
If there is one thing that I really hate in youth sports today is the whole idea that everyone gets a trophy. You know, the “Participation Award”. I hate it because it gives our youth this sense of entitlement. It makes them feel that all they have to do is show up and they’re a “winner”. If society keeps this up, we are just setting these kids up for failure. You see, these kids will soon grow up, become young adults and head out into the real world, competing for scholarships to get into their desired colleges and competing for those highly desired jobs. But, then reality will soon set in when they find out that all their dreams and goals in life aren’t just going to be handed to them just because they showed up for an interview. They are going to have to had put some serious work in their lives to achieve these dreams and goals of theirs.
I believe that is the point that King Solomon is trying to get across to the reader here. That point is, if you want to achieve your dreams and desires in life, you can’t be lazy about it. It’s going to take hard work and dedication.
This proverb doesn’t only apply to us in our physical lives, but it also applies to us in our spiritual lives. You see, a lot of us have this desire to have this amazing relationship with God. We want God to be by our side through thick and thin. We want to experience His many blessings and miracles the way others in the Bible have experienced them. But God isn’t just going to hand it to us on that silver platter. God desires relationship. He desires a partnership with us. We have that relationship with Him by believing in Jesus. We have that relationship with Him by reading our Bible and by praying regularly. We have that partnership with Him as we fellowship with other believers, serve in ministry together and love others the way Jesus first loved us. We are God’s servants and we gladly work for Him to have others know Him. When we do these things, then we get to achieve those goals and desires of having this amazing relationship and experiences in life with our God. 😊
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I know Your desire for us is to never sit idle in life. You don’t want us to be content in just being saved by You. Your desire for us is to know You more each day and to have You known by others who may not know You yet. I know this is a daily process and it’s going to take some work. I ask that You give me the strength, endurance, and boldness to do that work and accomplish that mission. I pray that You may also provide more workers to send with me into these mission fields. May we work together in unity to bring fame to Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
Proverbs 18 - 8.28.26
Scripture: Proverbs 18:8
"“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.”
Observation:
In the dictionary, gossip is described as: idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. I think we have all had a person in our life who is a gossiper. Its use tears down people. It negatively affects one's heart and sinks into their soul. As a manager in a secular business, it is hard to stop this behavior in people with hardened hearts. If it occurs in a church, it can split the church.
Its effects can be life-lasting. I can still remember someone said something untrue about me in my youth that was later proven wrong. I can't forget it to this day and I still don't know who started it. I was not the only one who was hurt. I believe youth in schools are most vulnerable to damaging gossip. We need to pray for our youth.
Application:
How do we avoid gossip? The scriptures teach us:
Ephesian 4:29 - “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Colossians 4:6 - “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Hebrews 10:24 - “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
In the last couple of weeks, Tina has led us in pre-service prayer to spur one another on and to see the good things in people. It fills us with joy to encourage others.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, let me be quick to listen and slow to speak, following your word in Psalm 141:3 - “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Let my eyes see the beauty in people. Give me a heart to love people. You showed grace to me, O’ Lord, let me show grace and mercy to others. Let me encourage others, Lord, for you are a good good Father. Amen
- Robert Oberg