Day 9: ProtectionProverbs 4:5-6 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. Our family recently welcomed a baby girl into the world. After three boys, God finally gave us a girl. And as her father, the experience is vastly different. Right now, my little girl may look the same as all the boys (apart from the fancy pink clothes). She poops and pees the same and squawks and waves her arms around. She sleeps the same as they did. Yet I personally experience a different feeling when I hold her. It finally struck me one day that the difference was not her, but me. I felt more tenderness for my baby girl and a greater desire to protect her. I worried about her more than I worried about my boys. Whether it’s because she was a helpless infant or my first little girl, I was more concerned for her protection.
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Day 8: AuthorityProverbs 27:5-6 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Dads, let your words reflect God’s holy Word. Be able to say to your children: “Keep my instruction” in the same breath as you say, “Receive God’s wisdom.” Let them know that if they please the Lord, then they also please you. You are a spokesman for God, not yourself, and especially not for them. Your children, however, will often test parental authority with the penetrating question: “Why?”
“Go wash your hands before supper, dear.” “Why?” “It’s time for bed.” “Why?” “Clean up your room, please.” “Why?” Now certainly as parents we want to encourage curiosity. We want our children asking “Why?” of the world. Yet their knee-jerk response of asking, “Why?” is too often just a clever attempt to disobey. Day 7: Heart DesiresProverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Dads, have you ever noticed what upsets you? Your wife asks you to take out the trash and you get angry. You gripe and complain, then afterwards think: “Where did that come from?” Or you’re driving in the fast lane, content to go the speed limit and some car tries to pass you on the right. So what do you do? You hit the gas (because now it’s a race that you must win). Yet your accelerating opponent has the element of surprise and cuts you off. As you slam on the brakes, you curse him out (under your breath, of course, because you’re a Christian). Dads, why do you yell at your kids for being late? Or why does your toddler smack his brother in the head with a fire truck? Why does your teenager stomp off to her room and slam the door? “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?"
Day 6: GuidanceProverbs 1:5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance. Many fathers enjoy playing ball with their sons, and our house is no exception. We are often playing catch in the front yard, basketball in the driveway, football on any spare piece of carpet, and (much to my wife’s consternation) broom hockey in the front entryway. Yet even as we play for fun, the coach in me sometimes calls, “Timeout,” to give some guidance: “Catch the ball with two hands. Follow through on your passes. That’s a double-dribble.” Guidance requires the recognition of wrong behavior and the wisdom to correct it.
Day 5: Prudence, Knowledge, and DiscretionProverbs 1:4 To give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth. Like many parents, I cannot count the times I’ve shouted after my retreating boys, “Shut the door!” Always in a hurry to reach their destination, they neglect to finish the task behind them. Certainly their folly is a symptom of forgetfulness, but an even greater folly concerns me as their father. I must teach them to shut the door of their mind after truth has entered in. Thus Proverbs 1:4 introduces still more blessings in God’s Word: “To give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth.” This verse describes two types of people who most need wisdom: the simple and the young. And dads, you must realize that your children are both.
As simpletons, their gullible minds are a literal open space to be crammed with anything and everything (see 14:15a). Being “open-minded” may sound virtuous to a pluralistic society, yet according to Scripture is a dangerous condition. Picture a house with the front door swinging wide open . . . Day 4: Righteousness, Justice, and EquityProverbs 1:3 To receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity. The other day, one of my boys struck his brother with malicious intent because he wanted the toy that his brother was not sharing. He then spit out the most horrible insult he could conjure: “You’re not my best friend.” His sense of fairness had been violated, so he sought to make things right by force. Realize dads, that you are often called upon as judge and jury because your children are infinitely creative in finding ways to fight. Study Proverbs, therefore, “to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity” (1:3). “To receive instruction” again restates the need for “discipline” (v. 2a) and “wise dealing” describes the discernment and insight to reason your way through complex situations. Discernment is . . .
Day 3: DiscernmentProverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. One challenge of raising boys is that they are perpetually hungry (except at mealtimes when they like to mess around). So I must often remind my boys, “No, you may not have a snack half-an-hour before dinner.” We teach them that sugar is not a food group and, “Yes, you do have to eat your vegetables.” Dads, when children are young, you make most of their decisions for them. Yet as they grow older, you teach them to take responsibility: “What do you think about your friend’s comment? What’s the right decision in this situation? What are some ways you can spend your birthday money? What makes this college better than that one?” You train your children how to make decisions on their own, so that when they leave your home they possess a measure of wisdom for themselves.
Suppose my son goes off to college and one day gives me a call: “Hey dad. The guys are going out for pizza Friday night. Can I go? Can I?” I would say to him . . . Day 2: Wisdom and InstructionProverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. As a concerned father, it always frightened me when my boys ran out into the street as they often did. So I never brushed it off with a wave of my hand: “Ahhh, boys will be boys.” I did not compliment their speed and agility or wait for something terrible to happen, hoping they would learn from their mistakes. (There is a time and place for that, but not in the middle of the street). Instead, I would shout with urgency, “Stop! Get out of the street!” I reprimanded out of love. For my rules were for their good, just as God’s rules are for our good. In the safety of our home, I then carefully explained why I did not want them running in the street.
IntroductionKing Solomon, of ancient Israel, wrote these proverbs as a father to his son — wisdom for a future dad. So also, these ten-minute devotions from Proverbs are a gift to new dads who have taken up the blessed privilege of parenting. They are by no means exhaustive, for I write as a father repeatedly humbled by my weaknesses. By God’s grace, I am learning through both successes and failures how to raise my children as my heavenly Father is raising me. Our family is certainly not the model of perfection, but fellow travelers seeking to follow the path of God’s wisdom. Every bend in the road presents still further challenges, yet by God’s all-sufficient Word “the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17).
I have written primarily to Christian dads, but all are invited to peer through this window of biblical parenting. I hope you will read these verses from God’s Word, consider the practical wisdom they offer, and be drawn in by the beauty of God’s design for your family. Each of these forty devotions begins with a Proverb to be memorized. I encourage you to write down each one to reflect on throughout the day and treasure in your heart. You will be blessed by the overflowing benefits of God’s enduring wisdom. I also share humorous anecdotes from our own family’s experience to demonstrate how the wisdom of Proverbs applies to everyday life. Each devotion includes an explanation from Scripture and ends with a simple prayer to direct your heart to God. Consider writing your own prayer of response or ideas for application in the space provided. May you be blessed by the reading and application of God’s Word! The following marriage lessons were collected from Scripture by Pastor Tom Sugimura. They represent 3 important truths:
They may be simple observations (as opposed to complex), but their application will prove to be a lifelong endeavor! -AMBrewster- |
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