Proverbs 10:1-2 

¹The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. ²Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.

Taxi Driver

Many Christians don’t attend midweek worship service, why? Maybe, they are tired from work. What can make you rejuvenated, re-charged or refreshed?

Somewhere in Asia, a taxi driver came home tired. But when his youngest daughter cried, he gladly carried her next to his chest and comforted her. Tired from long day driving, he felt refreshed whenever his children surrounded him. “My tiredness goes away each time I see my children,” he testified. Psalm 127:3 declares, ³Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.

If you were to ask parents who the prettiest children in the world are, they certainly say, it’s their children. Parents do anything for the best of their children. Toys, food, clothing, jewelries, high-tech gadgets or anything that parents had never experienced during their childhood, they provide for their children. There’s gladness among parents in taking care of their children, and that should be a reflection of the gladness of God providing for his children. What do you think?

1.  Gladness

¹The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

What do you think about the Proverbs of King Solomon? King Solomon may have personally experienced them before he published his proverbs. They are not just presumption or unproven theories that needed to be proven. The Proverbs of King Solomon are universal truth of practical advice for godly behavior.

Whenever he made wise decisions, did King Solomon personally observe gladness in the face of his father David? During the reign of King David, Israel should have a stable economy. And the economy of Israel had progressed even more when King Solomon became king of Israel. 2 Chronicles 1:15 narrated,

¹⁵King Solomon made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

In comparison, Absalom, Adonijah and Amnon, the three siblings of King Solomon made some kind of foolish decisions leading to their unnatural early death. Amnon disgraced his half-sister Tamar. Absalom killed his half-brother Amnon few years later. Then the pride of Absalom may have increased.

He connived with other leaders in Israel, and they tried to grab the kingdom from King David. Absalom was defeated, and he died during the battle as a result.

Adonijah, the other half-brother of King Solomon, prepared to assume kingship in Israel but God did not allow it to happen. In the perfect timing of the Lord, Solomon was installed as king of Israel. King Solomon issued death penalty for Adonijah because of his wicked scheme. What do you think?

The foolish stupidities of the half-brothers of King Solomon were recorded. Was it to compare to the wise decision made by King Solomon?

King Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom in 2 Chronicles 1:10: ¹⁰Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

God gave him wisdom, wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before him ever had and none after him will have. Leaders need wisdom.

Election

Election of government officials is coming near. We also have election of church leaders. Pray that God give all elected leaders in our city and in the church that they may administer and govern according to the will of the Lord.

To administer great amount of wealth also requires great financial wisdom. Any measure of responsibility or accountability requires appropriate measure of wisdom. Can you agree that God won’t allow us to be put to shame? And because of that, God gives us responsibility according to the wisdom we have.

Parents are glad when their children make wise decisions. And parents are grieved when their children are enticed to foolish stupidity. Pray for wisdom and make wise decision so that you may gain practical and spiritual profits.

2.  Gain

²Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.

The temptation of wealth may cause anyone to make stupid decisions. Yet, when stupidity prevails over its victims, they would foolishly grab any opportunity to make huge amount of money. Do you think foolish people read the news? The internet is never short of stories about sad ending of illegal drug businesses.

Somewhere in Asia, a woman was found guilty of smuggling illegal drugs. Despite an appeal to have her sentence commuted to life imprisonment, she was sentenced to death. Government authorities have evidence which indicate that the woman had smuggled illegal drugs numerous times into the country. This terrible incident should serve as lesson not to fall prey to drug syndicates.

It’s too late for the above drug mule to learn her lesson about illegal drugs. She had brought speedy death to herself and disgrace to her family and relatives.

The wicked instinct of humanity can cause anyone to make foolish decision. Wanting to have more money even with illegal means is a by-product of not being contented. Wanting for something in this world will not stop yet. Socrates said, “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” So how can we have contentment with what we have?

Pray for increase of faith and godly wisdom to find contentment in Christ.

Only God can give us real, long-lasting and eternal contentment to anyone. This world is temporal; therefore, contentment is also temporal in this world. All of us need wisdom. We need wisdom to discover satisfaction in what we have.

Personally, how do you seriously interpret what it advised in James 1:5-8?

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

You may ignore it or believe it honestly. Your decision practically reveals how much wisdom you have. The Scripture declares that parents are glad when their children make wise decisions, and they are grieved when their children make stupid foolishness. Parents can only give so much parental advice to children.

Parental responsibility continues while still alive. Parents: When you sense gladness for great things your children may have, do you praise and thank God?

If you sense anxiousness because of the decisions that your children made, God may have been reminding you to keep on praying regularly that God may grant wisdom to your children. You can only do the best you can but can’t totally control children. Each child is uniquely created, but we can pray for them always.

Children: How do you practically know if you’ve made wise decision in life?

Biblically, you will know that you decided wisely in your life when you sense or when you see gladness in the face of your parents. May the Lord bless you.

><((‘> .. ><((‘> … ><(((“> tmec\2023<“)))>< … <‘))>< .. <‘))><