Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 3:11-12, Love and Limits

by Marilynn Chadwick

“My son do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”

Proverbs 3:11-12 NIV

Children are generally asking two questions: “Do you love me?” and “Can I have my own way?” They seem to thrive on love and limits. So as parents we would say, “Yes, I love you, and “No, you can’t always have your own way.”

Focused attention, eye contact, lots of snuggles, a listening ear. There are many ways to say I love you. Unconditional love is a vital ingredient of a healthy home. But limits are important too. Limits provide a sense of security.

Here’s a little secret: If it’s necessary to correct your children, give them consequences that are actually beneficial to them. For example, an early bedtime, cleaning the bathroom, finishing a book instead of watching television, doing 50 jumping jacks to get the wiggles out. You get the point.

I also learned as the kids reached middle school to go easier on eye contact. Don’t bear down too hard in serious conversations. That’s probably why our best talks—especially the hard ones—happened while driving in the car. They’d tell me most anything I wanted to know if I didn’t intrude. Conversations in the van often turned into spiritual life lessons—I dubbed our drive time “e-van-gelism.”

Faith is both caught and taught. I encouraged our kids to be on the lookout for signs of God at work—in big ways and small ones. We dared our kids to dream big and trust God with the results. But mostly, I wanted them to be able to hear God for themselves—to discern his voice from all the others. They didn’t know it, but I continually watched to see if they were shaping their views according to what they were learning at home or what the world was telling them.

It really doesn’t matter where I travel. It’s the same in any culture—rich or poor. We can never underestimate the power of a strong and loving home. Home is where humans thrive and grow best. It’s where children should be nurtured. Instructed. Protected. It’s where they catch the faith. And where they’re free to dream. Especially when the home is built on the solid rock of faith in Jesus Christ.

When a home is filled with the grace of unconditional love and the framework of strong limits, and when parents seek the Lord with all their whole heart, a home can produce children who are likely to change the world.

Our Favorite Proverbs:Proverbs 11:28, Wealth Never Satisfies

by Marilynn Chadwick

“Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.”

Proverbs 11:28

Wealth tricks us, tempts us, and promises what it can't deliver. So, we humans buy the lie and exhaust ourselves—chasing after that which fades. Riches. Achievements. Beauty. All are satisfying at first. But they don’t last. Anyone who has watched a loved one age and die knows that the joys we experience on this earth are fleeting. Faded jeans. Faded furniture. Faded memories—mental images grow dim over time. Let’s be honest. Life here on earth fades.

The book of James is filled with practical wisdom. That’s why some call it “The Proverbs of the New Testament.” We find this same warning about the fleeting nature of wealth. James beckons us to turn our eyes toward eternity, reminding us how “the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements” (James 1:11b NLT).

Let’s look at the complete passage from The Message, a stirring paraphrase: “Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the ‘prosperous life.’ At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing” (James 1:9-11 MSG).

Several proverbs speak about greed, warning us that chasing wealth brings trouble, destroys families, and ultimately steals the life of the greedy person. They emphasize that greedy pursuits lead to ruin, whereas contentment is a source of security and wisdom. "He who is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household" (Proverbs 15:27a ESV). "A greedy man stirs up strife" (Proverbs 28:25a).

Overwork and greed are modern-day idols. So it’s wise to be aware that when we set our minds to guard against idolatry, we step into an intense spiritual battle. I believe materialism is the chief rival god of our age. That’s why victory over the bondage to material things and pulling down the stronghold of busyness requires a fierce fight. It’s also why, at its core, our real battle is to believe and take our place in prayer.

God wants us to freely enjoy this life. But it’s wise to sit lightly on the world’s fleeting pleasures. We are to build our foundation on the eternal life given to us only in Christ.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 23:4, Just Stop

by Marilynn Chadwick

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.”

Proverbs 23:4

It’s been said that Americans are the only people who worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship. Maybe that’s why keeping Sabbath is so hard. Many of us enjoy feeling productive, and taking a day off seems to slow us down.

The word “Sabbath,” or sabat in Hebrew, simply means “to cease, desist, rest.” Put another way, Sabbath means “stop.” The very first use of sabat, translated “rest,” in the Bible is in Genesis: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2-3 NIV).

Proverbs 23:4 warns us to avoid the exhaustion that comes from overwork—the opposite of a Sabbath-keeping lifestyle.

Other versions express the same caution in different words:

• “Don’t exhaust yourself in pursuit of wealth; be smart enough to desist” (Proverbs 23:4 CJB).

• “Do not work so hard to become rich that you make yourself ill. Be wise and rest when you need to” (Proverbs 23:4 EASY English Bible).

Maybe you spend a lot of your waking hours caring for those you love and scrambling to finish your to-do list. But who is telling you to guard your soul and to tend to your spiritual life?

You might be surprised at how often the Bible reminds us to care for our soul. God looks at rest as an important part of daily life. He even ordained a weekly day of rest as one the Ten Commandments. He said, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy…” (Exodus 20:8-11 NIV). The Bible includes more instructions about how to keep the Sabbath than all the other nine commandments. Rest is a command. It impacts our worship, our prayer life, and our family. We need to guard our Sabbath rest. Keeping the Sabbath is a good way to protect our marriages. Sabbath makes space for nurturing our families, our church, and our communities.

Sabbath-keeping helps us care for our souls in an age when many are desperately thirsty for inner peace. Rest from our work is also a theological theme woven throughout the Bible. It describes the liberating life of grace for the believer who has found true rest in Christ’s salvation. Perhaps St. Augustine could have been hinting at our need for Sabbath rest when he made this famous statement in his Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”