Teaching Values

September 18, 2011


Background Scripture: Proverbs 10:1 – 15:33
Lesson Passage: Proverbs 15:21 – 33

It is much easier to pass on material goods to our children than it is to pass on our values. Estate planners who strive to do both find that it is indeed a very difficult yet worthwhile endeavor. Before we can pass on either material goods or values, we must be diligent to teach our heirs how to appreciate and cherish what we leave in their possession if there is to be any hope of it being protected and eventually passed on to future generations we may never know. Part of our background scripture states that a good man leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren. This is extremely difficult to accomplish if our children are not properly instructed. In spite of the difficulty, nothing is more precious than our values. Our values define who we are, what we live for, and what impact we wish to make in this world. The greatest value we hold is our personal relationship with God. It defines who we are. It defined who our parents were. In fact, our spirituality was instilled in many of us early in life when we had little or no appreciation for it. As we grew older, we discovered that the quality of our lives revolved around our relationship with God. When we are submissive and obedient to His guidance and counsel, our lives are enriched with the things that really matter in life. Our relationship with God defines our relationship with our fellowman. When we consider the abiding virtues of faith, hope, and love, love is the only one that is demonstrated through relationship with our fellowman. Therefore, the bible teaches us that love is the greatest of the virtues. Love propels us to win our friends over to God that they too may enjoy the quality of spiritual life that we do. Proverbs admonishes us that he who wins souls is wise. All of the faith and hope in the world would never be enough to enhance and enrich the quality of our lives on a level comparable to what happens when we dare to walk in love towards each other. Hope keeps us hanging on so that we never quit or despair. Faith opens doors that seemed impossible to enter or exit at some point. Through faith we can indeed have much of this world’s material goods. But what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? So Solomon advises that he that is greedy of gain will eventually bring trouble to his house. Life does not consist of the abundance of goods that one may possess. Rather, advice and instruction are sought after by the truly wise. This puts the wise in the company of the wise. Through this affiliation his wisdom increases. Those who follow fools do so to their own destruction. The wise build houses but the foolish tears them down. The tragedy of the foolish is that their way seems right to them although it is leading them to destruction. Again, Proverbs teaches us that having a work ethic is profitable to all. God sees all things that transpire in this life both good and evil. There is nothing hidden from Him. He will bring everything into judgment. There is no greater joy for a father than to see his son walk in the way of wisdom. This is an indication that the values he has taught have been received and are being practiced by his son.


Robert C. Hudson
September 10, 2011

Making Right Choices

September 11, 2011


Background Scripture: Proverbs 4:1 – 27
Lesson Passage: Proverbs 4:10 -15, 20 – 27

It seems that more and more today youth and young adults are bent on making poor decisions in spite of wise counsel from many sources being made available to them. How do we convince our children or those we mentor to make right choices? Perhaps a better question is how did we come to make right choices? Some call it experience and others call it luck. Many of our decisions that turn out to be right choices are the result of instructions and counsel passed down through many years. Our responsibility as adults then is to continue to pass on to others what has been entrusted to us. We want our children and understudies to have the benefit of the wisdom we have now but did not have when were much younger. Solomon declares that wisdom then is the principal thing. In our lesson today, wisdom is personified—that is to say wisdom is spoken of as though it has a personality and mind of its own. Certainly the impact that wisdom has on one’s life will also suggest the same. Having wisdom is like having your own personal mentor following you around and providing constant consultation on everything where a decision is called for or a choice has to be made. Wisdom speaks of the company we keep. Wisdom suggests that we avoid wicked and evil people; some people are not satisfied until they have caused trouble, stirred up dissension, or slandered someone. They work the agenda of Satan who Jesus said comes to kill, steal, and destroy. His agenda is simple and never changes. He never comes to do what is good or to rectify any wrongs. Satan works through many individuals. Some participate willingly because they know not God and others are deceived. Those who choose to follow the devil do so out of ignorance or because their minds have been darkened and they cannot see the light. The issues of life flow from the heart of people. All wars, fights, and jealous activities are conceived in the heart of man. Man’s heart is evil in its unregenerate state; therefore we need to be born again so God can give us a heart which desires light and not darkness. If we are to allow wisdom to govern our lives, then we must guard our hearts against all manner of evil.

The redeemed of the Lord are commanded to pursue after righteousness and to use wisdom to guide us to make right choices. Life is filled with choices. Every day we make many decisions without giving much thought to them but we just follow whatever is in our hearts. Many make decisions that they spend the rest of their lives regretting because they paid no attention to what was coming out of their own hearts. When we pursue wisdom and understanding we do so that we might obtain what we need to make right choices. This is not because of what’s in our heads but because of what’s in our hearts. We study that we may learn and obtain knowledge in our heads. We meditate that whatsoever is on our mind might move into the realm of our heart. When we pursue righteousness because of what’s in our hearts, we will often make right choices. Right choices propel us into an abundant life that reflects God’s glory in us. The father who has learned these things surely wants his children to know them as well.

Robert C. Hudson
September 2, 2011