Keep on the straight path

The Book of Proverbs Chapter 4



Solomon speaks as a father telling his children to listen and grow wise because he gives good guidance. His own father once told him to take his words to heart and he would learn to be wise and have good judgment. So don't turn your back, he says, on wisdom for she will protect you. Love her and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do. Embrace her and she will honor you and place a lovely wreath and crown on your head.


He continues to speak, telling everyone to listen and do as he says and have a long, good life. He says he will lead everyone in a straight path and you will never stumble as you run. Listen to his instructions, don't forsake them and guard them so they can lead you to a fulfilled life. Do not do as the wicked do or follow the path of evildoers. Avoid their haunts and turn from them. For evil people cannot sleep until the have done their evil deed for the day. They cannot rest unless they have caused someone to stumble.


The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines brighter until the full light of day. But the wicked's way is darkness. So pay attention and listen carefully and don't lose sight of Solomon's words. Let his words penetrate deep into your heart and guard your heart. Avoid perverse talk and corrupt speech. Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark a straight path and stick to it.


BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Responsibility to children is to encourage them to become wise. Solomon's father David encouraged him to see wisdom when he was young. However, you must seek wisdom and go after it and never give up the road to finding it. Even friends can make you fall. Yes, they can lure you into doing wrong. While we should be accepting of others, we need a healthy skepticism about human behavior in order to avoid falling into sin.

Solomon tells us to guard our hearts because it holds our love and desires. Make sure your affections lead you in the right direction.


HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? In our search today for wisdom we have many added distractions like the media, television, false preachers. But these can be channeled by us to our own advantage. We just have to remember the path we choose has no detours that lead to sin. Keep your eyes on the goal. Remember in the last chapter I commented on our own churches leading us astray. The media is a good example of how easily we are indoctrinated. Articles are printed and reported to us that make us feel things are normal that are clearly not normal according the the Word of the Lord.


Our young people are more open to suggestion than older folks are. They go along with new trends and don't question them and suddenly in a few years, the abnormal is normal in our society. Please encourage them, like Solomon did, to keep their eyes on the goal. To find wisdom and she will keep them on the right path. Pray to the Lord to help our society!


Yours in Christ,
Mary


Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH:
Update on my niece Suzanne, she is out of rehab after many months for a crushed leg and doing well and being cared for by her ex. Pray for Gabe and Wanda. Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and for the doctors who have difficulty diagnosing his other symptoms.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.