Sunday Recap 5-8-11

Morning: The sermon, "Mama Tried," focused on Proverbs 10:1.  In this verse, Solomon warns his son that wrong choices will bring grief.  In the song, "Mama Tried," Merle Haggard sang,

No one could steer me right, but mama tried, mama tried,
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading I denied,
That leaves only me to blame, 'cause mama tried.

His words echo Solomon's warning.  Solomon urges his son to choose a path: either wisdom or folly. Wisdom is walking in the fear of the Lord, and in means to hate evil and love good. Folly walking without fear of the Lord, and it includes hating good and loving evil. "Loving" and "hating" have more to do with practicing, rather than feeling.

Solomon reminds his readers that the path they choose will determine their destination. If they choose wisdom, they will experience joy (and their joy will cause their parents to rejoice). If they choose folly, they will experience grief (and thus, grieve their parents).

Lessons we can learn from this proverb.

• Choose wisdom. Choosing wisdom ultimately means placing faith in Jesus Christ. James advices, "If any of you lacks wisdom he should ask of God, who give generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).

• Don't grieve your mama (or your daddy). The Lord calls on us to honor our fathers and our mothers. When we choose a life of sin, we bring our parents to grief.

• Mothers (and Fathers) you are your child's moral compass. You set the pace for them. You are to lead them to know and to do what is right. 

Parenthood is not without its struggles, but it is not without it's rewards as well. Parents seek to honor the Lord with your parenting. Children honor the Lord with your obedience.

Evening: No services.