Can I
pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.
In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Like apples of
gold in settings of silver is a ruling rightly given. Like an earring of gold
or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.
Proverbs 25:11-12
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to
God.
Do you remember when you
were growing up and it seemed like you were getting in trouble more than you
were gaining praise?
I know I do.
There were times when I
felt like I was under constant correction and rebuke for my behavior and
hindsight being twenty-twenty, I guess I was and rightfully so. My parents were
trying to help shape me into being a person who would use proper judgment to do
the right thing and I was never held accountable for something I didn’t do. At
the time, I couldn’t fully appreciate my parents for what they had done but
today I honor them for never giving up the good fight to discipline me when
needed to guide me in the proper direction with justice. It certainly has paid
off in big dividends in my adult life.
As I read today’s proverb,
provided in wisdom from the Lord to King Solomon, I was reminded of the value
of my parent’s diligence toward using correction as a tool to make me a better
person. For there was great value in the decisions they made and the words they
spoke to try and explain the reasons why they had to take remedial action to
get me on the right track. Look at these two verses:
Like apples of gold in settings of silver
is a ruling rightly given. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear. Proverbs 25:11-12
Like apples of gold in
settings of silver. Picture this image for a moment. If we saw this for real,
it would be something we would marvel over, right? Apples made out of gold
would have to have been some of the most valuable apples on the planet, both
during Solomon’s time and our today. Couple that with a setting of silver and
you have something rich and of great worth.
This is what Solomon
compares to justice when a right (and righteous) judgment is made. Going back
to my parents, I certainly didn’t see the deep wealth and significance in their
disciplinary actions when I was young but I realize today how much I was
lavished with the riches of their decisions and the consequences levied against
me to lead me away from sin and toward honorable conduct.
I worked hard to ensure my
two daughters received the same kind of upbringing when I was raising them up
into adulthood. If I did anything different, it was bringing the scriptures
into correction whenever my wife Grace and I had to levy it. I thought it was
important for my girls to know that their behavior had not only violated our
expected standards but even more so had violated the standards the Lord had put
in place.
And so we spent a lot of
time just talking to our daughters before we put any discipline in place,
reading parts of the Bible that explained the right conduct the Lord expected
and how their actions were in direct disobedience to His expectations. Our
words of rebuke were spoken out of love for we wanted our girls to grow up as
women of principle and moral bearing. Just as I didn’t truly get it at the
time, I think my girls were the same but I think they both would tell you today
that those moments of instruction helped them to be the Christian women they
are today as they received correction that turned into earrings of fine gold as
they stepped out into life on their own. Hopefully, they will carry on this
legacy of blessed discipline as they raise children of their own.
The matter of proper
justice and rebuke applies to many other settings outside of parenting but the
end result remains the same. For the person who receives righteous correction,
gains richness and abundant direction toward becoming more the people that the
Lord longs for them to be.
Amen.
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment