Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Do not remove the ancient landmark, Nor enter the fields of the fatherless; For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you. Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge. Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell. My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself; Yes, my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak right things. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;
Proverbs 23:9-17 NKJV
As stated in Proverbs it is important to pay attention to your surroundings. It is taught that we should not waste time trying to educate people with a foolish mindset. In doing so our wisdom will be taken for granted and they will reject the teachings of the wise. The instruction also teaches us not to be envious or jealous of what does not belong to us.
Often times we only see what the exterior looks like. We can be fooled by what appears to be perfection. You ever see a woman at your job who gets flowers often from that special person, and you think to yourself, “Wow I wish my boo sent me flowers all the time.” When we are on the outside looking in we fail to realize the reality may not be so glamorous. We don’t know how often the sender may have been caught cheating or the emotional pain the receiver deals with on a regular basis. What we see as a sweet gesture may actually be an “I’m sorry” sent in the form of a dozen beautiful red roses.
The scripture also teaches us not to refrain from chastising and training our children in the correct way. “ 13 Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.” Proverbs 23:13-14 NKJV Often times as parents we think to ourselves, “Was I too hard on my child? Do they really understand why this is wrong? Will they resent me?” But guess what? It’s ok to feel like this, for in the end, they will not die. They will appreciate and understand your actions and you are keeping your father’s word.
Growing up I hated getting in trouble and getting the strap put to my behind. But the older I got, the more I valued the lesson behind my mother’s actions. Just as parents, do our heavenly father chastises us. He always forgives us when we repent, but in everything we do wrong, there is always a lesson to be taught. Our gracious and forgiving Father makes sure we learn the necessary teachings behind all of our non-righteous actions
This week I encourage you to not waste time on foolish things, to be confident in your righteous doings, and to appreciate the lessons you learn when you get off track during rough times.
Thank you for sharing. It was helpful.
Thanks Yolanda for the reminder that we should not waste time on foolish things.
I too value the lessons of discipline from the past. They’ve made the difference in my life, because I’m still here. Thanks YoYo for sharing.
Thanks Yolanda what a reminder do not waste time on foolish things.
Her words of wisdom still speaks. See you on the other side Lady Yolanda and Thank you for serving God through TheSHIP!
Missing you already!