August 28, 2024

Proverbs 22:1-6 (HCSB)
22 A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold. 2 The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord made them both. 3 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished. 4 The result of humility is fear of the Lord, along with wealth, honor, and life. 5 There are thorns and snares on the path of the crooked; the one who guards himself stays far from them. 6 Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Jeremy Cannon
My grandfather was not a prophet by any means. He had a temper, he told some jokes that would make a sailor cringe, and he was not, let’s just say, politically correct. But, he once gave me the best advice when I was a young 16 year old punk. I thought I knew it all and I couldn’t care less what others thought about me. He said,“Go look in a mirror.” I was confused but did what he said. When I came back to the living room, he asked me what I saw. I just laughed and said, “Me.” (This is where he got me.) He then said, “Now go look again and come back and tell me what you like about the person you see.” I spent the next 30 minutes in tears as I stood there and looked at myself. How could I have been so dumb? I was a mess, and I knew only God could help me. Proverbs 22:1-6 is filled with such great advice. My favorite of all is verse 6. Whether you don’t have kids yet or if your kids are all grown up, they need to hear how God feels about them and how He wants them to live their lives. It is a crucial part in molding the future them. Who knows? Hopefully a mirror won’t be needed for them to see their true selves.