Devotion for 2/24/21 6 Minutes

Wednesday Devotion

Good evening everyone watching by video this evening,,, it's time for our weekly devotion.

I'm praying that all of you are having a wonderful week so far.

As I've said the last several weeks,,, we need to continue to remember those that are dealing with this virus.

Those that are sick,,, since there are many others dealing with this sickness as it continues to grow and,,, those that have lost loved ones,,, we need to continue to remember them as well.

Remember the medical teams that are dealing with this and any others that must work and take a chance of contacting this virus.

Also,,, continue to remember those on our prayer list,,, and our country and it’s leaders.

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Our devotion this evening comes from "David Jeremiah Morning and Evening Devotions".

Our scripture will be Proverbs 22:6 and I'll be reading from the King James Version Bible.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV 1900) —

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.

God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this evening.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord,,, as we begin this evening,,, with all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen.

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My Wesleyan Commentary says,,, the meaning of this verse takes into consideration everything that a wise man learns as he goes through life and as it's noted throughout Proverbs,,, wisdom is in large measure learned,,, in other words,,, the result of education.

In order for such training to be adequate,,, it must begin early,,, while the child is still easily influenced,,, and truly teachable.

What does this verse have to say about those children who don’t live up to its claims,,, those who obviously do depart from their early moral and religious training?

That doesn’t mean that this proverb is wrong.

Instead it shows that man always has a choice,,, whether he will serve God or not,,, regardless of his training,,, it’s still his choice to make.

These exceptions prove that this saying is basically true,,, for the majority of those who are given proper training do profit by it,,, and rejoice in it all their lives.

Even the exceptions,,, in many cases,,, would confess that though they disregard earlier training,,, they never get away from it fully,,, for in the form of conscience it hounds them all their days.

David Jeremiah titled this devotion "TRUSTING GOD FOR FAMILY".

And he titled it that way because he shows us that we must trust God instead of man.

The example that he uses out of the Bible helps us to see this,,, even though Proverbs 22:6 gives us instructions that we would think are supposed to guarantee "great",,, "God fearing children",,, but as we see,,, that isn't always the case.

The line of kings of Judah from Rehoboam to Jehoram represented five generations of fathers and sons: Rehoboam (bad), Abijah (bad), Asa (good), Jehoshaphat (good), and Joram (bad).

Bad fathers produced both bad and good sons,,, and good fathers produced both good and bad sons.

David Jeremiah asked,,, Where is the predictability?

Well,,, There are no guarantees when it comes to family.

True,,, Proverbs 22:6 says to invest in our children so they become wise adults.

But the book of Proverbs contains guidelines,,, not promises.

Sometimes,,, good parents (like King David) produce bad sons (like Absalom) who bring shame to their fathers.

David might have wondered if the line of promise was going to fizzle out with his sons,,, given their character.

But the grace of God was at work in David’s son,,, Solomon; and the Messiah appeared right on schedule (Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–38).

Salvation came to the earth through human families just like yours.

Even our inherited flaws can’t keep God’s purposes from being accomplished!

Take a moment to thank God that His plans don’t depend on your perfection as a parent or as a child,,, but instead,,, on His faithfulness.

Jeremiah, David . David Jeremiah Morning and Evening Devotions (p. 111). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.