April 24, 2026 -- Proverbs 10:1 -- Where you headed?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

10 The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. Proverbs 10:1
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025).
 
Suddenly, starting here at chapter 10, the style of writing changes. Instead of longer sections of teaching, there are quick, one verse proverbs. Commentators and theologians point out that these proverbs are not laws, nor are they promises. Proverbs are general principles. These proverbs give insight into the contrasts between those who are followers of God over against those in bondage to the evil one.
 
Such a series of proverbs serve as a warning which will encourage the disciple of Jesus to lean on the power of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, passages like Hebrews 2:1 warn the Christian not to drift from what they’ve heard. Every day there are temptations to make small compromises, take little shortcuts, neglect whole-hearted devotion to the Living God. In no time at all, such little-seeming accommodations to evil will land you in the realm of foolishness.
 
As a minister who visits in prisons, it is frequently the case that a man will sigh, and with a heavy heart say, “I wish my dad would say he is proud of me”. The now incarcerated man has learned obedience through what he has suffered and is attending classes to learn the fear of the LORD. Even so, it is often the case that his reputation is so fixed, his father despairs of any change and a mother grieve as one with no hope. His former, feeble attempts at change have all fallen to the ground. It is at that point I meet men who sincerely long to change.
 
By the grace of God, it is possible to make a lasting change, to go from foolishness to wisdom. It is possible to be rescued from the kingdom of darkness and be brought by the compassion of the Father into the Kingdom of the Son He loves. If you have been foolish, today is the day to repent. If you have been a sorrow to your godly mother, now is day to choose to change course. Do so before your character is so fixed and your pathway to destruction hard-wired into your brain. God is the One Who rescues fools and makes them wise. God is the One overturns the wisdom of the world and calls those who seem irreparably damaged so that they will in Christ become dearly loved sons and daughters, who gladden their Heavenly Father’s heart.
 
Sanctify me in every relation, office, transaction and condition of life,
that if I prosper I may not be unduly exalted,
if I suffer I may not be over-sorrowful.
Balance my mind in all varying circumstances
and help me to cultivate a disposition
that renders every duty a spiritual privilege.
Thus may I be content,
be a glory to Thee
and an example to others.
from TO BE FIT FOR GOD. The Valley of Vision, page 254
 
https://youtu.be/DV-V4xZMQx0?si=5yq_YY-AjW4LlpSk Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
 

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