Living "wholly" leads to holiness!

Probing Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.

This passage should make us stop and think a bit. Not because it reveals some hidden truth that most do not understand; anyone that is a parent gets this! What makes this truth so provocative is who the author is. Let me deal with the obvious first and then with a more disturbing truth. All “good and decent” parents – let’s face it; there are individuals that are so in love with themselves, they do not have the ability to love others and they make terrible parents, but for the most part, most of us “fallen” humans have the God given grace, that when we see our child, a godly love comes forth, and we have great hopes for each child. 

First and foremost, if we are children of God, we desire our child to bring honor to our Lord, Who gave them life. Second, we want them to experience success in life for their sake, and third…if we are honest, we want them to do well because it reflects on us. This is a balancing act that only the Holy Spirit can keep in check. The minute we get these out of order, damage will occur. Either all we will care about is our child’s “happiness” – which is temporal - no matter the cost eternally…as a Pastor I have dealt with this and I weep for some of the young men and women that have run into destruction with no admonition from dad or mom because they did not want their child to “feel” uncomfortable. A temporal discomfort that leads to repentance can reap eternal benefits! 

If, on the other hand, our “reputation” becomes number one…we will drive our child away from God and ourselves. However, guided by the Spirit we can keep these in order, and this proverb remains very true. A child that has a life based on wisdom will bring parents great joy, because nothing is more important than my kid being close to God. Career, money, fame, etc. – that’s all window dressing and burns! A life close to God is the most valuable possession in the universe! Sadly the reverse is also true, no matter the temporal riches and fame, if my kid is away from God, a part of my life is wounded! People who are honest will not argue with the simplicity of this truth.

What is disturbing is the knowledge of who is making this statement. Solomon was a young man of incredible wisdom and heart, which at first chased after God. However, we know from history that changed. His wisdom remained, but he did not follow his own counsel. This should be a wake up call to all of us! Starting out right does not guarantee how we will finish! Growing older in the Lord can be a double-edged sword. Yes, we may handle trials better and have consistent disciplines, yet if we are not careful we can become complacent about less obvious sins and our zeal for God Himself can lose it’s edge. I know for myself, I have seen this begin to surface in the last ten years. The only way I have caught it is to remain open to the voice of the Holy Spirit and face my sinful nature as the reality it is. NOTHING is more dangerous than an attitude of “spirituality” – that will lead us straight to spiritual pride! 

Being dependant wholly on Him is the only way to continue to grow in holiness! This keeps that edge in your life.

Ask yourself: How well do I listen to the counsel of the Word? How can you measure that? Would obedience be the key? How well do you quiet yourself and listen to the voice of the Lord? What does that sound like? If you don’t know what does that say?