Proverbs to Live By—Practice Discipline

“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him”. –Proverbs 13:24.  “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.” –Proverbs 15:5.”The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.” –Proverbs 15:31.  “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” –Proverbs 16:3.  “Even  a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.” –Proverbs 20:11.  “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” –Proverbs 22:6 (ESV).

I selected six pertinent verses from Proverbs on the subject of discipline.  The word translated discipline or correction is use thirty-one times in Proverbs.  That shows the weight it bears in the way life is conducted.  We think primarily of the obligation of parents to discipline their children.  And this is a God-given privilege as well as a grave responsibility in the family unit.  Children learn discipline and eventually become self-disciplined by learning that there are restrictions to be followed and parameters set.  And self-discipline is a life-long process.  We need discipline every day, that which we’ve learned ourselves either by our upbringing, or from what we may call “the hard knocks” of life brought about by wrong choices.

Proverbs 13:24 indicates that discipline by physical punishment (the rod) is acceptable.  More modern trends in child rearing question the wisdom of physical punishment.  Notice the last part of 13:24:  “he who loves him (the child) is diligent (steadfast, consistent) to discipline him.”  The Message Bible translates this verse:  “A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them.”  Bible scholars note that 13:24 stems from an old Egyptian proverb that reads, “The ears of the young are placed on the back, and he hears when the back is flogged.”  We may smile at this ancient justification for using the rod in discipline.  Parenting is a privilege but it is also a grave responsibility.  We have the present and future of the children entrusted specifically to our care to bring up into responsible maturity.  Discipline begins young and it comes with a remarkable promise:  “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” We know that children brought up with good discipline can and do stray from it.  So then, what of this promise?  We hear often about “cutting the apron strings,” and we must come to a point when we allow children to assume responsibility for their own decisions and actions.  But when parents combine discipline with example of living an upright life before their children, and continue to surround the children with prayer and love—even when they are “on their own,”  the promise of Proverbs 22:6 can come to fruition.  This principle is a vital part of Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.”  This applies to all phases of our work, and holds much weight in the work of being parents and bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Do we want to enjoy our children all of our lives, and even our children to the second and third generation as we become grandparents and great grandparents?  Then we should begin very early in the child’s life to correct and discipline, and be persistent and consistent in the training.  Discipline has to do with correcting behavior and character faults while the child is still young, before wrong conduct has time to be established.  Children cannot be “left to themselves.”  They need guidance of a positive and upbuilding nature.  Proverbs 29:17 states:  “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul” (NKJV) 

Thank God that you personally were disciplined.  In your responsibilities for disciplining yourself and others, pray for wisdom and understanding necessary to practicing responsible discipline.

Proverbs to Live By—Walk in Integrity

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” –Proverbs 10:9.  “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” –Proverbs 11:3.

In outlining the book of Proverbs, from 1:8 through 9:18 is summed up in a father’s invitation to his son to follow wisdom.  Within these chapters are paternal appeals to the son to avoid the sins of the flesh such as greed, sexual immorality, and discord.  Throughout these chapters wisdom is held up as a very lofty aspiration to follow, and is personified to make wisdom more personal and desirable to obtain.  Then there follows in Proverbs 10:1 through 22:16 a collection of proverbs of Solomon, each complete in itself and written in the familiar genre of Hebrew poetic parallelism for emphasis.  That is, parallelism will present the good way, followed by an opposite and poor or bad way.  Many subjects are covered in these verses, and all are important, all are significant for the lifestyle they advocate and the appeals they make to upright living.  From the many given, today’s emphasis is on walking in integrity.

Integrity is an interesting word.  It stems from the root “integrite” which means “whole,” or “not divided into parts.”  From the root come not only integrate but the noun integrity, the latter meaning a firm and unwavering adherence to sound values and a set of strong morals.  Incorruptibility, soundness and completeness are synonyms.  Solomon in his wisdom said positively, that the person who walks in integrity is secure; he does not have to fear being found out.  His ways are above reproach.  On the other hand, to veer from a pathway of integrity and follow crooked, underhanded ways will assure that the person will “be found out,” or his devious ways will be discovered.  To emphasize further the importance of integrity in the life of a person, another proverb on the subject, stated a little differently, follows closely upon the first statement about integrity.  It, too, is very to the point:  integrity is a sure guide but crookedness leads to destruction.

Unfortunately, we live in a day when integrity is sometimes foreign in society’s dealings.  We see deception and corruption in all walks of life.  “Whom can you trust?”  is often a question on our lips and a thought, even though sometimes not expressed aloud.  We see the lack of integrity in government leaders and persons in authority in business.  There is hardly a social strata or an area of relationship where the plight of deception does not touch, degrade and destroy.  Even families are destroyed because of absence of integrity.  As used in the proverbs cited, integrity means “faithfulness and trustworthiness.”  And in order to walk in integrity, as Solomon advised, a definite decision must be made to do so.  Integrity is a choice.  “I will walk in faithfulness; I will be trustworthy; I will avoid corruption; I will seek a way of life that is truthful, sincere and sound.  I will walk in a morally upright path.” One thing we detect quickly as we read Proverbs carefully is that the emphasis is again and again upon following goodness and diligence and the blessings that attend an upright lifestyle.  Likewise, the proverbs point out the penalties that follow a lifestyle of sin.  It’s somewhat like knowing “these truths are self-evident.”  They follow the common sense choices of life.  But at the same time we need to be reminded that there is a high road and a low road to follow, and the choice is ours.  The joy of knowing Jesus makes it so much easier for us to choose integrity over corruption.  The Spirit of the living God is ever present with us, helping us to make the right choices.  And, yes, thank God, to help us live a life of integrity.

Proverbs to Live By – Keep Your Heart With Diligence

“Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (KJV).

I chose to use the King James Version of Proverbs 4:23, for that is the version from which I memorized the verse when I was quite young.  The New English version renders it “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”  Eugene H. Peterson’s The Message Bible states: “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.”  Heart in Proverbs (and, indeed, throughout the Bible) refers to the center of one’s inner life.  “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). Jeremiah wrote:  “the heart is deceitful above all things” (17:9), but he also said, “And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:  for they shall return unto me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7).  And in the Beatitudes, Jesus taught us, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).  Paul knew that with the heart a person came to salvation: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10, KJV).  It is no wonder, then, that the writer of Proverbs urged that we keep the heart with all vigilance (or diligence), for from it spring the issues of life, among which are the conviction to be saved from sin, the faith to turn to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, and the knowledge to listen to and follow God in conduct of life.  Ezekiel substantiated the result of repentance and turning to God, saying He would : “make you a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18:31).

We are to keep our heart “with all vigilance”—or “with all diligence.”  To keep vigil is to set a guard, to keep watch, to be awake and aware.  It was a common practice in biblical times to have a watchtower at city gates to which guards were assigned to keep watch over the city and to allow only those with authentic passes to enter.  Likewise, a vigil was set over fields to keep marauders from the harvest.  We’re familiar in our day with identification badges, pass codes, and even guards at places that faithfully check credentials.  Diligence is akin to vigilance, with the added idea of being persistent, steady and exerting effort.  The New International Version translates Proverbs 4:23:  “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  If we allow the wellspring of our being to be polluted, the contamination will spread and the appetites we thought were under control will produce wrong ways of thinking and acting.  In his comments on Proverbs 4:23, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe notes:  “The Bible warns us to avoid a double heart (Psalm 12:2), a hard heart (Proverbs 28:14), a proud heart (Proverbs 21:4), an unbelieving heart (Hebrews 3:12), a cold heart (Matthew 24:12), and an unclean heart (Psalm 51:10).  And this prayer comes from Psalm 139:23: “Search me, O God, and know my heart.” [The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT. Colorado Springs: Cook, 2007, p. 1065].  

J. Edwin Orr used the words form Psalm 139:23 as the basis of his hymn with these words which are a prayer:  “Search me, O God, and know my heart today;/Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray./See if there be some wicked way in me;/Cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.”  As we set a vigil over our heart, it would be wise to remember Orr’s words and the tune by Edward J. Hopkins that accompanies the words and sing them daily as our sincere prayer.

Proverbs to Live By –Withold not Good from Those Deserving It

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.  Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it’—when you have it with you.  Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.” –Proverbs 3:27-29 (ESV).

This could be called the proverb about being a good neighbor.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:9-10:  “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  This proverb also reminds me of the parable Jesus told in Luke 11:5-13 of the person who went to his neighbor at midnight, after the latter was already in bed, knocked, and asked for three loaves of bread.  A friend had come unexpectedly from a journey and was hungry.  The neighbor answered, “Do not bother me; my household is already at rest.”  But because of the impudence of the seeking neighbor, the man finally got up and gave him bread to feed his visitor.  The word translated “impudence” in Luke 11:8 is from the Greek word “anaideia,” and means “lack of sensitivity to what is proper; or impudence.”  This is its only use in the New Testament.  It would indicate that the seeker boldly and shamelessly awakened his neighbor and asked for bread to feed a visitor at midnight.  Jesus further used the parable to teach that we should keep on asking, seeking and knocking when we seek blessings from the Father.  He also indicates that a person would not give a serpent when asking for a fish, nor a scorpion when he asks for an egg.  The Father knows much better how to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him  The writer of Proverbs was teaching that those who have should give to those deserving help.  When we have the resources to help others, we should not delay and have them beg.  Just like Jesus taught in the parable, we should not give evil gifts when the persons are seeking that which will help them.

We live in a day with many hands held out begging that we give to this cause or that need.  We are often confused as to what charities and missions are just and worthy of our attention and giving.  Throughout the Proverbs, we are urged to get wisdom and understanding.  And we certainly must exercise these when we seek to respond to causes.  Some questions we can ask are:  Is the appeal coming from a just and honorable need?  Is the organization authentic?  Are the funds being used with good stewardship and to benefit the persons for whom the money or goods are given?  Or does the contribution line the pockets of deceptive and greedy leaders?  

The best advice is to pray about the matter and seek God’s leadership.  We should not be greedy ourselves and withhold when an authentic need faces us and challenges us to give.  When it is within our power to give and the cause is justified, then God will direct us not to withhold.  I, personally, have come to a peaceful settlement of what to do.  The Bible teaches,  “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10).  Offerings I make are always over and beyond the tithe—whether for mission causes sponsored by my church or entities within the larger community that seek donations.  If I have to say “no” at times, then I know that my conscience before God will be clear because I have not withheld what He directed me to give. How about you?  Do you need to make some financial decisions that will fit the proverb of not withholding gifts from those who need and deserve them?

Proverbs to Live By – Honor the Lord with Your Wealth

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” –Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV).

Why does God ask us to honor Him with our wealth?  Paul had advice to his son in the ministry, Timothy (and for us as well) about this subject:  “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.  It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (I Timothy 6:8-10, ESV). This advice followed Paul’s saying, “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (I Timothy 6:7).  The writer of Proverbs was advising his son to give proper perspective to wealth.  Offer the “firstfruits” of everything to the Lord.  This was in keeping with Jewish law.  To bring firstfruits indicated that the people recognized God’s provision, that the offering to him (firstfruits) was a sacred pledge and all that remained would be sufficient for the family’s needs: “your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine.”  This promise reiterates what is taught in Malachi 3:10:  “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”  Paul substantiates this teaching about money and giving:  “The point is this:  whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  As it is written: ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever’” (II Corinthians 9:6-9, citing from Psalm 112:9).

Money and earnings seem a necessary part of our lives.  The Bible has many teachings about our perspective on wealth. In biblical times, barter was often the means of financial survival.  That was practiced somewhat even in the days when I was a child.  We took our eggs and chickens to the country store to exchange them for items we needed on the farm that we could not produce ourselves.  Oftentimes, we even gave our preacher of the “firstfruits” of our crops and the fryers we’d reared in our chicken lot.  And too, sometimes we would ask for money for the chickens and eggs we took to barter so that we could have a tithe to place in the offering plate at church.  I can remember well in my husband’s early ministry, when he had what we called “student pastorates.”  We would leave our church fields on Sunday nights with a live chicken strapped in a box, eggs carefully packed, fresh vegetables shared from a garden, and a gallon or two of milk.  We knew we would eat well the next week as we gratefully took these items, prepared them for eating and stored them in our small refrigerator.  The Bible has much to teach about our regard for money and how we handle it.  It warns us against greed.  Remember Jesus’ parable of the rich man who kept building bigger barns to store the surplus of what he harvested?  The dire warning was, “Thou fool!  This night your soul shall be required of you” (Luke 12:20).  The beauty of this parable to live by is that when we early-on in our Christian experience decide to tithe and to honor God in how we use the remaining nine-tenths of what we earn, we are assured that this promise will be fulfilled in our lives: “I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.  He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing” (Psalm 37:25-26).  How, then, can we afford not to honor God with the firstfruits of our earnings?  To be a blessing to others as we give according to God’s plan assures that we, in turn, receive the blessings of God.  However, we give because we love the Lord, not to have Him “pay us back” or recompense us.  But in His grace, He provides for those who honor Him.