Articles
The Way Of Wisdom
“I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; and if you run, you will not stumble.”
Proverbs 4:11-12
The majority of Proverbs is written like a father talking to his son about life and wisdom. A small sample of this is the passage cited above, in which the great benefits of wisdom are introduced.
“I have led you in upright paths” – The writer means that he has not only taught his son the truth, but he has also tried to model it to the best of his ability. He has given him the concepts as well as the example. This is a tall task, but too much is on the line not to rise up to it:
If we want our children to be faithful Christians, we must make an effort to attend every worship service and Bible class, and maintain a high level of participation;
If we want our children to be passionate about their Savior, we must show more than a passing interest in spiritual matters;
If we want our children to be productive members of society, we must not leave them an example of laziness;
If we want our children to tough enough to handle negative situations, we must avoid the temptation to find the easy, cheap way out of our problems.
“When you walk, your steps will not be impeded” – While the faithful life does come with certain distractions and troubles (Matthew 10:22, Romans 8:18, 1 Peter 4:12-16), we are not nearly as “impeded” as the sinner. I would take my Christian life over the miserable existence of any unbeliever, because so many spiritual impediments are removed in faith:
I am no longer impeded by death and disease, because I know that if I die I will be in heaven with my Creator;
I am no longer impeded by financial worries, because I know that “all these things will be added unto me” (Matthew 6:33);
I am no longer impeded by concerns over political issues, because I know that all governments are subject to the power of God (Romans 13, Jeremiah 18:9, 1 Peter 2:13-15);
I am no longer impeded by marital troubles, because I know that God has provision for every issue that arises;
I am no longer impeded by concerns over heaven and hell (Acts 24:25), because I know where my citizenship is;
I am no longer impeded by sin, because it was conquered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
“If you run, you will not stumble” – There are times when we need to hurry in life, when decisions must be made on the spot in a split second. If our young people listen to the wisdom of the ages, from men like Solomon, and heed these words, they will be prepared for bad situations. When the time comes for haste, our young people will have a ready answer (1 Peter 3:15).
