The Preacher's Ponderings

Verse 19

Far too often we let the world determine our “state of mind” rather than letting the Word of God establish our hearts and minds. The evil in the world today is held in check by the awesome power of God. God is always in control.

I am not to look at what the evil man has and desire it, but I am to look at the things of God and desire those instead. The wicked have nothing that will be of benefit to me.

The training of children is a responsibility that God has given to the parents, not to the church or school. These institutions can be of great help to the parents, but the ultimate responsibility is still with the parents. Verses 6 & 13.

Most of the problems in a child”s life can be traced back to a failure in the parents life; usually a lack of consistency in a certian area. Many child discipline problems are the result of a lack of discipline in the lives of the parents, and when parents realize and accept their role in creating the problem; then and only then can true progress be made towards solving the problems.

Parents need to: Pray, Love, Mentor, Discipline, and Influence their children in a consistent manner.

Verse 7- The just man walketh in his integrity:- the word “integrity” means moral character or purity. The temptation to give in or lower our stand is ever present in this life. We must always be on guard against the wiles of the devil and the leadings of the flesh.

The smallest of indiscretions has led to the downfall of many strong men because of a  lack of integrity.

Verses 14-16- Many times we seem to be concerned only with the friends that our teenagers have while neglecting the ones that adults have. One of the reasons that teens pick friends that are not helpful in their spiritual growth is because they see many adults with these kinds of friends.

There are just some people that we cannot “hang” out with because of their lack of a spiritual walk with God. RU principle #6- Those who do not love the Lord will not help us serve the Lord is powerfully true. There are some activities and some ”people” that will negatively impact our spiritual walk, and those are the ones that we should learn to avoid. See verse 15.

Either we will influence another person or they will influence us. Choose your friends wisely based on Scriptural principles not just based on common likes or hobbies.

V. 3- “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee…”- indicates that I can get to a point where God’s truth and Word are the farthest things from my mind. Only through the consistent meditation(thinking and pondering) on the Word of God can I know God’s direction for my life.

Vs. 9 &10- The principle of honouring God with my substance includes my time as well as my money. There are 168 hours in a week and 10% of that comes out to approx. 17 hours. Am I “tithing” 17 hours of my time developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?