Parenting by the Book
STUDY 131
Text: Proverbs 15
Dear Parents,
AN UNUSUAL CONTRAST
We have a rather unusual contrast when we put the following two texts together. The theme in common for both is “joy”.
Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly.Proverbs 15:21
A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken in due season, how good it is.Proverbs 15:23
JOY AS A RESULT RATHER THAN A GOAL
Some people make “Joy” a goal in life. Parents like to please their children. Their happiness seems to be the most important thing! Let us learn some very important lessons from the study of these two texts.
1. A person without discernment can also find joy
If joy is the goal, then a person without discernment can say that he has arrived at the goal of joy. However, the cause of his joy is “folly”!
2. Two different but worthy goals
a) Understanding that leads to righteousness
The first goal suggested is to be found in the phrase, “A man of understanding (who) walks uprightly”. The person who has understanding and thus walks uprightly will find real joy!
b) A good answer at the right time
Only the person of understanding would be able to attempt this. He knows what to say and when to speak. He speaks with joy because he knows the worth and significance of the counsel he gives. The recipient of the word spoken in due season also finds joy, because the good word shared is a great source of encouragement.
TEACH CHILDREN TO LOOK FOR WORTHY GOALS
How important it is to teach our children to have good and worthy goals. If they were to settle for “joy” as their goal, they might reach their destination faster than we think. But joy that comes from folly is worthless!
Let us determine to teach our children how to value wisdom and how to speak good words “in due season”. They would bring so much joy to others. They would not be deprived of personal joy at all! In fact, their joy would be greater!
Prayerfully,
Pastor Charlie