Proverbs 4:20–22 (ESV) —
20 My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
NOTE: The chapter reiterates the importance of parental teaching. One parent can affect many generations by appropriately teaching and passing on wisdom. It is the child who rebels against that instruction, and breaks the chain, starting a new line of foolishness. We can't force obedience and we certainly should not try -- that is not wisdom. But, we do need to teach wisdom, and even more importantly, we should model wisdom. When a child sees the disconnect between our words and our actions, they lose respect for us and for the advice we offer. We cannot be hypocrites when it comes to training our children.
PONDER:
- Do I say one thing to my children, but do the other?
- Ask God to reveal to you where actions do not match words.
PRAYER: Father, open my eyes to see where I say one thing, but do another. Help me to live in a way that encourages my children and grandchildren to follow in my steps.
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