How To Have A Happy Family Part 2

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Hello, and welcome to Keeping It Young podcast,

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conversations about marriage, family, and ministry life.

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I'm Dave.

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And I'm Beth Lee.

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And we are the Youngs.

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We are so glad you've joined us today.

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We are beginning summer.

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It's not the first day of summer yet,

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but.

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But here in Florida, it feels like it,

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doesn't it?

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Yes, always.

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It starts feeling like summer, and I would

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say the end of April.

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Sure, we were home during May, and the

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Pensacola Christian College isn't far from us, and

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graduation week was so humid.

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And it just made me think about all

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the people that'll wear a suit and tie

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to go to graduation.

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Right.

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All of our Yankee friends that came down

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here to be a part of that are

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like melting in the heat.

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Moving their children out of the residence halls.

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Oh my goodness, that's very warm.

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But summertime is a special time.

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I love summertime, first of all, because we

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do not homeschool year round.

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Yay!

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We homeschool during a regular school year, so

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homeschool is out for the summer, and we

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get to travel with Dave and do summer

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camps, teen camps, family conferences.

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I don't know what all we're doing this

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summer.

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My goodness, our summer has a ton going

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on.

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We're gonna be at a family conference in

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New Jersey.

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We have a family camp in North Carolina.

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That's at a local church, but they're calling

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it a family camp.

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And then we have a couples event in

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Washington State.

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Yes.

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And then we have a camp in South

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Dakota, and a camp in New Hampshire, and

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a camp in Colorado.

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And then I'm coming home for a few

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days.

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Breathe!

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Yes, and then we have a camp in

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Michigan.

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Yes.

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And then we have a youth event in

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Missouri.

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Yay!

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So our summer is full.

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We are so excited.

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Many, many miles of travel.

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So, so excited about summer, and we hope

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you are too.

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We hope you have some special things planned

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with your family coming into the summer, and

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remember that Father's Day is coming up.

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It's always in June.

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So ladies, get together with your kids, and

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find something special you can do for that

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special man in your household.

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That sounds like a great idea.

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I love it.

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So here's what we're doing, brothers and sisters,

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and friends.

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We are talking about how to have a

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happy life, and a happy family.

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Yes, we are.

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How to succeed in life and family.

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Yes.

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And we're not talking about it as much

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as Solomon is.

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And Solomon gives us chapters 10 through chapter

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31, and it is loaded with just information

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after information after information.

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And of course, we told you last week

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that the plan is we're just gonna talk

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about the things he's challenging us to emphasize,

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and we're gonna do that in our family.

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And our verse was, a wise son makes

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a glad father, and a foolish son is

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the heaviness of his mother.

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That's Proverbs chapter 10.

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And so today we're jumping right in.

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We're gonna go back to chapter 10 again,

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and begin, the question is, how do we

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get there?

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If it's Solomon's telling us that we need

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to pursue happiness and success, especially in our

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families, how do we get there?

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Right.

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And so the first thing we've learned as

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we've been reading through Proverbs is simply this,

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we have to emphasize righteousness.

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Well, sometimes that doesn't sound very happy, does

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it?

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You think of people who never do anything

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fun, and they're just so careful about everything.

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That just, I don't know.

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We might have some listeners that are like,

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oh, well, that doesn't sound like a happy

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family.

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But from a biblical perspective, righteousness being emphasized

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in your home, meaning the truths of the

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word of God being emphasized in your home,

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that will definitely bring about blessings in your

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life and lead to a happy family.

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Absolutely.

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So we emphasize righteousness, and chapter 10 is

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a great place to do that.

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Because in chapter 10, listen to all of

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the verses, where he talks about righteousness.

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Let's start with verses two and three.

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Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivereth

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from death.

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The Lord will not suffer the soul of

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the righteous to famish, but he casteth away

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the substance of the wicked.

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He talks about it again in verses six

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through seven.

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Blessings are upon the head of the just,

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but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

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The memory of the just is blessed, but

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the name of the wicked shall rot.

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And the word just there is the idea

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of righteousness.

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Yes, same word.

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Yep, verse 11.

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The mouth of a righteous man is a

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well of life, but violence covereth the mouth

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of the wicked.

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And again in verse 16.

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Verse 16 says the labor of the righteous

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tendeth to life, the fruit of the wicked

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to sin.

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And then verses 19, 20, and 21.

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In the multitude of words, there wanteth not

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sin, but he that refraineth his lips is

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wise.

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The tongue of the just is as choice

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silver.

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The heart of the wicked is little worth.

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The lips of the righteous feed many, but

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fools die for want of wisdom.

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Yes, and 24 and 25.

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The fear of the wicked, it shall come

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upon him, but the desire of the righteous

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shall be granted.

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As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked

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no more, but the righteous is an everlasting

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foundation.

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And the final couple of verses, 30 through

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32.

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The righteous shall never be removed, but the

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wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

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The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom,

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but the froward tongue shall be cut out.

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The lips of the righteous know what is

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acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked speaketh

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frowardness.

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Now, this is an interesting word because the

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word can refer to God's character.

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The righteousness of God is that God is

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pure and God is right and God will

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do right and you can trust God to

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do right.

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So the word righteousness is God's character, but

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when Solomon writes about it, what he's primarily

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talking about is Christian morality and Christian ethics.

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Well, he actually speaks about it as a

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characteristic of a person.

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He actually calls people the righteous.

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The righteous use words that are good words

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or wise words, things like that.

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So he actually refers to Christianity or people

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who are following Christ.

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He calls them the righteous.

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That is correct.

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And so it deals with things like what

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is right and wrong.

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And what a thing we have to train

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our children in that.

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This is right, this is wrong.

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You can't do that because that's wrong.

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Nope, we're gonna do this because this is

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right.

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So this is the word righteous.

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It's about what is pleasing to God and

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pleasing to his word.

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And all of you Christian parents listening to

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us, that's something we have to over and

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over and over and over emphasize.

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You pastors listening to us, if we're not

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careful, we fail to emphasize righteousness in our

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preaching.

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As in, this pleases God.

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The Bible is clear right here.

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You have to live like this to please

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God.

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This is what the Bible says.

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You have to live like this to emphasize

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the Bible, to live the Bible, to learn

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the Bible, to know the Bible.

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And you'll find the word frequently used throughout

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all the pages of God's word.

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Especially like Genesis 30 and verse 33, when

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Jacob, he's married, he's working for Laban, his

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father-in-law, and Laban has done him

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wrong and changed his wages and so forth

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and so forth.

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And in Genesis 30 and verse 33, Jacob

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says, my righteousness shall answer for me in

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time to come.

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And what he says is, there will come

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a day you will see that what I've

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done here is right.

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I've done the right thing.

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I've honored you.

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And it's interesting to me because you said

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at the beginning here, that righteousness doesn't sound

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like a happy, fun word.

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And you're right, because what Jacob is saying

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in that text is, he's going through a

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great challenge.

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His father-in-law has been treating him

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incorrectly, treating him wrong.

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He's been deceived.

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He's been lied to.

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And yet in the midst of it, he

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said, I'm gonna do what's right.

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And there will come a day you're gonna

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know that I did what was right.

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And I'm putting all of this publicly so

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that in the years to come, you will

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know.

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You know what?

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Jacob was a righteous man.

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And so he did point out there that

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my righteousness shall answer for me in time

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to come.

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Deuteronomy 6 is one we preach from a

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lot.

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Deuteronomy 6, of course, is the passage, the

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Mount Everest passage about the family in the

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Old Testament.

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And in Deuteronomy 6, he talks about how

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that we have to fear the Lord and

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know the Lord and we have to live

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in such a way that things are well

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in our lives, in our children's lives and

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in our grandchildren's lives.

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That's a massive order of time.

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That's about, what, 30, 40 years of time.

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So he says there at the end of

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the chapter, he's talking to, the son comes

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in at the end of the chapter and

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says, well, what is all this that we

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can't do and have to do and this

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rule and this law and God said this

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and God said, don't do that.

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Deuteronomy 6 and verse 25 says these words,

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and it shall be our righteousness if we

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observe to do all these commandments before the

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face of our God as he has commanded

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us.

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So what Solomon is talking about here is

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we have to emphasize right and wrong, show

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00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,300
our children what's right and we have to

278
00:08:47,300 --> 00:08:47,940
do what's right.

279
00:08:48,500 --> 00:08:49,800
It's not enough just to say our kids,

280
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:50,160
right?

281
00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:53,460
It's gotta be, I've gotta be right in

282
00:08:53,460 --> 00:08:53,880
my life.

283
00:08:54,140 --> 00:08:55,980
Righteousness starts with dad, you dads.

284
00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:57,520
It matters how you live your life.

285
00:08:57,620 --> 00:08:59,880
If you're a dishonest businessman, your children will

286
00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:00,260
know it.

287
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You will damage their righteousness and yours.

288
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And what does the Bible teach about that?

289
00:09:05,420 --> 00:09:08,200
The result is the foolishness in a son's

290
00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:09,120
heart is heavy.

291
00:09:09,420 --> 00:09:11,040
It is heaviness in the years to come.

292
00:09:11,740 --> 00:09:15,320
So righteousness in this 10th chapter is connected

293
00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:16,580
to a variety of things.

294
00:09:16,700 --> 00:09:18,580
The first one is righteousness is connected to

295
00:09:18,580 --> 00:09:19,100
our treasures.

296
00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:20,640
That's all back in verse two again.

297
00:09:20,900 --> 00:09:21,180
Right.

298
00:09:21,580 --> 00:09:24,100
And he talks there about the treasures that

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00:09:24,100 --> 00:09:24,540
we embrace.

300
00:09:24,660 --> 00:09:25,900
In fact, read that again to us just

301
00:09:25,900 --> 00:09:27,500
to get the idea and remind our audience.

302
00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:29,100
Righteousness in our treasures.

303
00:09:29,580 --> 00:09:32,580
Well, it says treasures of wickedness profit nothing,

304
00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:35,640
but righteousness delivereth from death.

305
00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,260
Well, that's an interesting, interesting phraseology, isn't it?

306
00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:38,660
Yes.

307
00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,420
Because if you are getting ahead by wickedness,

308
00:09:42,620 --> 00:09:45,980
you're dishonest, you're deceitful, you're unwise and you're,

309
00:09:46,100 --> 00:09:48,980
if you're getting ahead because you're doing wrong,

310
00:09:49,180 --> 00:09:50,480
what he's saying right there is it's not

311
00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:50,960
worth it.

312
00:09:51,220 --> 00:09:51,460
True.

313
00:09:51,580 --> 00:09:52,920
It doesn't matter how much money you're worth,

314
00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:53,700
it's not worth it.

315
00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,640
Because it will bypass God's blessings.

316
00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,520
It will bypass God's favor.

317
00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:01,420
And literally in the point he's making in

318
00:10:01,420 --> 00:10:04,480
chapter 10, it will bypass joy, happiness and

319
00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,880
rejoicing and result in great heaviness down the

320
00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:07,080
road.

321
00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,360
But there's a better way to live and

322
00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:10,440
that is righteousness.

323
00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:12,940
So we have to teach our children that

324
00:10:12,940 --> 00:10:15,660
getting ahead by doing right brings great blessings.

325
00:10:16,500 --> 00:10:17,460
That's the whole point, isn't it?

326
00:10:17,540 --> 00:10:17,720
Right.

327
00:10:17,860 --> 00:10:19,400
We've got to get ahead by doing right.

328
00:10:19,460 --> 00:10:20,020
How do you do that?

329
00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:21,120
What does it even look like?

330
00:10:22,860 --> 00:10:25,400
Well, you have to remember that the blessing

331
00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,940
of God is far more than financial gain.

332
00:10:29,580 --> 00:10:32,560
And it is not that if you have

333
00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:34,680
financial gain in your life and the Lord

334
00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,040
has blessed you in that way, or if

335
00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:38,820
you have a head for that, a head

336
00:10:38,820 --> 00:10:42,180
for business and you know how to, you

337
00:10:42,180 --> 00:10:45,220
have an entrepreneurial spirit, I don't even know

338
00:10:45,220 --> 00:10:46,640
if I said that right, and you are

339
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,240
making money and that is a way God

340
00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,340
has gifted you, there's certainly nothing wrong with

341
00:10:50,340 --> 00:10:50,560
that.

342
00:10:50,820 --> 00:10:53,300
But if, as David said, you're going about

343
00:10:53,300 --> 00:10:56,620
it underhandedly, if you're cutting corners, if you're

344
00:10:56,620 --> 00:10:58,800
not being honest in your business dealings, but

345
00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,820
you're still making money, that's not, in the

346
00:11:01,820 --> 00:11:03,400
end, going to bring you blessings.

347
00:11:03,620 --> 00:11:06,160
It also could be that you, as a

348
00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:07,580
family, you're just gonna do right.

349
00:11:07,660 --> 00:11:09,740
You're gonna do what God has called you

350
00:11:09,740 --> 00:11:12,860
to do and you're gonna make money the

351
00:11:12,860 --> 00:11:15,020
way God told you to make money, your

352
00:11:15,020 --> 00:11:15,360
job.

353
00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,300
Maybe it's not like you're making hand over

354
00:11:18,300 --> 00:11:20,120
fist all this money and putting all this

355
00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:21,660
money in the bank, but you're doing what

356
00:11:21,660 --> 00:11:22,960
God has called you to do.

357
00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,720
There will be blessings in that and there

358
00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,680
are blessings that are far greater than financial.

359
00:11:28,860 --> 00:11:30,520
You may not be able to take the

360
00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:32,840
big vacations that the family down the street

361
00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,060
can take, you may not be able to

362
00:11:35,060 --> 00:11:37,260
wear the latest fashions, you may not eat

363
00:11:37,260 --> 00:11:39,240
out all the time, but you will have

364
00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:40,820
a great blessing in your household.

365
00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:42,920
Absolutely, and yet the point he's making there

366
00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:44,920
is that it is connected to our revenue,

367
00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,500
to getting our gain, if you will.

368
00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:50,500
And so, remember, we've gotta be training, we've

369
00:11:50,500 --> 00:11:52,880
gotta be living our lives by righteousness.

370
00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:54,720
What is the right thing to do?

371
00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:56,700
Are we honest?

372
00:11:56,900 --> 00:11:57,880
Are we dependable?

373
00:11:58,020 --> 00:11:59,000
Are we cutting corners?

374
00:11:59,120 --> 00:11:59,780
Are we doing right?

375
00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:03,080
And if we are, righteousness brings great blessings

376
00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:04,480
is what the Bible is trying to say

377
00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:04,680
there.

378
00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:06,920
So we emphasize that, righteousness in our treasures.

379
00:12:07,460 --> 00:12:10,040
In verses 11 and 12, we have to

380
00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,000
make sure that there's righteousness in how we

381
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:13,040
deal with other people.

382
00:12:13,180 --> 00:12:14,320
And that's a big one, isn't it?

383
00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,440
Because one of the things everybody in life

384
00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:19,000
has to handle is other people.

385
00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,600
Whether that's your friends, your mom, your dad,

386
00:12:22,680 --> 00:12:25,460
your sons, your daughters, your coworkers, your bosses,

387
00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:28,460
your employees, the list just never ends.

388
00:12:28,620 --> 00:12:29,160
It's true.

389
00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,440
We are bombarded with how we have to

390
00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:32,000
deal with people.

391
00:12:32,300 --> 00:12:34,280
Well, and we live in a culture, I

392
00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:38,420
think even ever since the pandemic shut down

393
00:12:38,420 --> 00:12:41,760
where we all had to isolate, there were

394
00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:43,280
people who have come out of that and

395
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,660
there's even joking on social media about how

396
00:12:45,660 --> 00:12:47,500
that we just really don't like to be

397
00:12:47,500 --> 00:12:49,400
around people anymore and we get to work

398
00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:50,020
from home.

399
00:12:50,140 --> 00:12:51,760
Some people get to work from home and

400
00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:53,860
they never have to go out and about

401
00:12:53,860 --> 00:12:56,540
and they'll even joke in Instagram reels about,

402
00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:58,900
well, why can't we just schedule times at

403
00:12:58,900 --> 00:13:00,520
the grocery store where no one else is

404
00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:02,020
there and I can just be all by

405
00:13:02,020 --> 00:13:03,520
myself and I don't have to deal with

406
00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,480
people, but that's not reality.

407
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,540
We know that we always will deal with

408
00:13:08,540 --> 00:13:11,340
people and specifically as we're in this series,

409
00:13:11,380 --> 00:13:14,240
we're talking about our family, you're gonna have

410
00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:16,160
people right there in your house with you

411
00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:17,880
that you have to talk to all the

412
00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:18,120
time.

413
00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:22,300
And unfortunately, there are people who, even Christians

414
00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:25,120
who have the idea of, well, as long

415
00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,420
as I maintain a happy countenance and testimony

416
00:13:28,420 --> 00:13:31,560
out there among other people, maybe when I'm

417
00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:33,980
at church or I'm at the grocery store,

418
00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:35,760
but when I'm home, these people just have

419
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,200
to love me no matter what.

420
00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:40,080
So I can just treat them any way

421
00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:40,580
I want to.

422
00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:42,920
I can say the words I wanna say

423
00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:43,220
to them.

424
00:13:43,300 --> 00:13:44,140
I can be harsh.

425
00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:46,140
Well, so what if I got up on

426
00:13:46,140 --> 00:13:46,980
the wrong side of the bed?

427
00:13:46,980 --> 00:13:50,100
My husband should understand that or different things

428
00:13:50,100 --> 00:13:50,480
like that.

429
00:13:50,540 --> 00:13:52,940
But the Bible tells us that we need

430
00:13:52,940 --> 00:13:54,500
to be righteous in the way that we're

431
00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:55,340
dealing with them.

432
00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,560
So that would indicate that we would have

433
00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:00,000
to bring forth some of the fruit of

434
00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,300
the spirit, I think, in our words and

435
00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:03,600
how we're dealing with other people.

436
00:14:03,740 --> 00:14:04,120
Absolutely.

437
00:14:04,700 --> 00:14:06,920
So righteousness is part of how we deal

438
00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:07,380
with people.

439
00:14:07,660 --> 00:14:09,380
And what Solomon is saying in the verses

440
00:14:09,380 --> 00:14:13,200
is that when we are righteous, we edify,

441
00:14:13,420 --> 00:14:15,340
we bless, we're an encouragement to others.

442
00:14:16,060 --> 00:14:18,300
And that when we are not, we destroy

443
00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:19,320
and damage others.

444
00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,680
And it's so easy to live our lives

445
00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:25,780
with a self-righteous or a self-focused

446
00:14:25,780 --> 00:14:27,700
or a me first idea.

447
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:32,120
And we've gotta be training ourselves and our

448
00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:33,740
children to embrace righteousness.

449
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:35,460
It matters how we speak to each other.

450
00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:36,080
It does.

451
00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,320
It matters whether I build you, whether I

452
00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,940
encourage you, whether I bless you, it matters.

453
00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:43,800
And so righteousness is not just our treasures,

454
00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,160
it's also dealing with people and it's also

455
00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:48,220
related to our work.

456
00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,140
And these are all kind of combining together.

457
00:14:50,180 --> 00:14:52,140
But listen to verse 16 again because he's

458
00:14:52,140 --> 00:14:53,100
talking about our work.

459
00:14:53,180 --> 00:14:55,000
Well, can I go back to the words

460
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:55,600
one more time?

461
00:14:55,700 --> 00:14:58,340
It does say in verse number 11 that

462
00:14:58,340 --> 00:15:00,020
the mouth of the righteous is a well

463
00:15:00,020 --> 00:15:00,940
of life.

464
00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:03,920
And moms, can I just say to you,

465
00:15:04,020 --> 00:15:06,920
speak life, speak life to your husband, speak

466
00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:07,800
life to your children.

467
00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:09,400
And you're thinking, well, what does that even

468
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:09,920
mean?

469
00:15:09,980 --> 00:15:11,960
It just means that there should be more

470
00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:14,400
blessing that comes out of your mouth, more

471
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,120
grace that comes out of your mouth, more

472
00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:17,780
kindness that comes out of your mouth.

473
00:15:17,860 --> 00:15:21,340
Those are all life-giving words than words

474
00:15:21,340 --> 00:15:26,060
that are harsh and tearing down and unkind.

475
00:15:26,500 --> 00:15:27,980
So now we can move on.

476
00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:29,420
Well, that's a good point.

477
00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:31,040
Let's just pause and think about that because

478
00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:32,040
you addressed the moms there.

479
00:15:32,220 --> 00:15:34,820
But dads, it is amazing how powerful your

480
00:15:34,820 --> 00:15:35,300
words are.

481
00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,160
And righteousness and how you deal with people

482
00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:40,480
is vital and especially with your children.

483
00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:42,860
You have to learn as a dad to

484
00:15:42,860 --> 00:15:45,360
not allow anger and frustration to be the

485
00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:46,980
primary focus of your words.

486
00:15:47,100 --> 00:15:48,440
That's not pleasing to God.

487
00:15:49,100 --> 00:15:51,960
Well, and even in these verses, it indicates

488
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,020
that it's a righteous person, a person who

489
00:15:55,020 --> 00:15:56,700
is following hard after God.

490
00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:58,380
That's what a righteous person is.

491
00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,480
We that are Christians, we stand righteous before

492
00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:03,060
God, not because of our righteousness.

493
00:16:03,340 --> 00:16:04,960
We already know that, we're all sinners.

494
00:16:05,540 --> 00:16:08,200
We accept Jesus' righteousness to cover us and

495
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,580
therefore we are saved.

496
00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,120
But then we pursue his righteousness as we

497
00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:16,340
are pursuing after him, as we are reading

498
00:16:16,340 --> 00:16:17,000
the word of God.

499
00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,820
So that's what the word of God means

500
00:16:19,820 --> 00:16:21,620
when it talks about a righteous person.

501
00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,760
So it's not saying, oh, it's your personality.

502
00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,280
There are people who are just kind by

503
00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:27,920
personality.

504
00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,640
They're more sweet by personality.

505
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:32,520
And so we could be like, well, that's

506
00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:33,280
not really me.

507
00:16:33,340 --> 00:16:34,660
But the word of God here is saying,

508
00:16:34,740 --> 00:16:37,320
well, it's a righteous person who speaks life

509
00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:37,980
to other people.

510
00:16:38,180 --> 00:16:39,560
It's not just your personality.

511
00:16:39,900 --> 00:16:41,260
Right, and if you're not careful, you can

512
00:16:41,260 --> 00:16:42,680
go the other side of that too, because

513
00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:44,740
some of you by personality are brutal.

514
00:16:45,460 --> 00:16:48,500
And by personality have a tendency to be

515
00:16:48,500 --> 00:16:50,540
condescending and so forth.

516
00:16:50,860 --> 00:16:52,660
But what we are to do, we are

517
00:16:52,660 --> 00:16:54,360
to, in all of our dealings with people,

518
00:16:54,540 --> 00:16:58,180
we are to embrace righteousness and learn righteousness.

519
00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:00,780
And so we've got to learn to edify,

520
00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:01,900
to bless, to encourage.

521
00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:04,619
And then that spills over into the 16th

522
00:17:04,619 --> 00:17:06,380
verse that we were trying to get to

523
00:17:06,380 --> 00:17:07,220
a moment ago.

524
00:17:07,260 --> 00:17:08,400
I'm so sorry.

525
00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:11,440
Righteousness in our work.

526
00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:12,660
Listen to verse 16 again.

527
00:17:13,099 --> 00:17:15,819
The labor of the righteous tendeth to life.

528
00:17:15,980 --> 00:17:17,980
The fruit of the wicked is sin.

529
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:19,760
Moms and dads, what we're trying to say

530
00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:21,200
here, and for all of you that are

531
00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:23,619
listening, we are, if we're going to lead

532
00:17:23,619 --> 00:17:25,960
a happy life, remember the main point.

533
00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:28,420
If we're going to lead a successful and

534
00:17:28,420 --> 00:17:32,180
happy life, we have to embrace righteousness.

535
00:17:32,340 --> 00:17:33,900
That's in relation to our treasures.

536
00:17:34,380 --> 00:17:36,440
That's in relation to dealing with people.

537
00:17:36,620 --> 00:17:38,320
That is in relation to work.

538
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:40,520
And he makes that very clear there, doesn't

539
00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:40,660
he?

540
00:17:41,220 --> 00:17:44,160
Work is essential and doing right in work

541
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:44,780
is essential.

542
00:17:44,940 --> 00:17:47,740
Yes, so that a righteous person will be

543
00:17:47,740 --> 00:17:49,560
diligent in their work.

544
00:17:49,620 --> 00:17:49,840
Yes.

545
00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:50,920
Is that what we're trying to say?

546
00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:53,260
Absolutely, and it goes even beyond that because

547
00:17:53,260 --> 00:17:54,720
the result of it is the point.

548
00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,400
It's by doing right in our work that

549
00:17:57,400 --> 00:17:58,380
we build a life.

550
00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:02,900
Rather than we're always plagued by, we are

551
00:18:02,900 --> 00:18:04,800
lacking the blessings and favor of God.

552
00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,340
When we're not righteous in our work, we

553
00:18:07,340 --> 00:18:10,520
miss just that special thing about life in

554
00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:11,780
which God is blessing us.

555
00:18:11,860 --> 00:18:12,920
We're reaping what we're sowing.

556
00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,320
We are blessed on the job.

557
00:18:15,540 --> 00:18:17,560
We are available for promotions.

558
00:18:18,460 --> 00:18:20,840
And if we're not careful, we also bypass

559
00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,180
the idea of contentment.

560
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:24,400
When all is well and I'm being a

561
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,060
righteous person and I know that I'm doing

562
00:18:26,060 --> 00:18:27,840
right and I'm working hard and you can

563
00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:29,220
depend on me and I'll be there on

564
00:18:29,220 --> 00:18:31,060
time and I'm gonna do my job right,

565
00:18:31,060 --> 00:18:33,020
what we find out right there is that

566
00:18:33,020 --> 00:18:36,700
that brings an enjoyable, incredible, blessed contentment to

567
00:18:36,700 --> 00:18:37,200
a life.

568
00:18:37,460 --> 00:18:37,600
Right.

569
00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:39,660
And contentment is lacking in our generation.

570
00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,080
We are not a happy generation if you're

571
00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:42,740
thinking contentment.

572
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:44,480
Well, we have been taught when it comes

573
00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:46,600
to work that you're supposed to avoid it

574
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:47,800
as much as possible.

575
00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,240
You know, even joking reels on Instagram about,

576
00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:52,940
man, I've been at work for two hours

577
00:18:52,940 --> 00:18:53,320
already.

578
00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:54,720
I think it's time for me to go

579
00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:55,140
home.

580
00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,860
But I think our culture is embracing that

581
00:18:58,860 --> 00:18:59,880
to some extent.

582
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:03,440
Instead of having the character, could we say

583
00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,040
the righteousness to say, this is what I've

584
00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,320
been hired to do and I'm gonna do

585
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,220
it with everything in me and I'm gonna

586
00:19:10,220 --> 00:19:11,120
do it cheerfully.

587
00:19:11,740 --> 00:19:15,420
And then getting that contentment, that blessing at

588
00:19:15,420 --> 00:19:16,820
the end of the day of a job

589
00:19:16,820 --> 00:19:20,280
well done instead of there's so much discontent

590
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,060
of, okay, yeah, well, maybe I left work

591
00:19:23,060 --> 00:19:24,580
early and then I went home and all

592
00:19:24,580 --> 00:19:27,480
I did was scroll through Instagram or watch

593
00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:30,640
Netflix and I ate too much and then

594
00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:32,460
I don't feel good about myself.

595
00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:34,340
And I mean, it just is like this

596
00:19:34,340 --> 00:19:38,780
spiral instead of knowing that there is great

597
00:19:38,780 --> 00:19:42,020
blessing in a righteous person who knows how

598
00:19:42,020 --> 00:19:43,060
to do their work well.

599
00:19:43,060 --> 00:19:44,820
Yeah, and speaking of work, we do live

600
00:19:44,820 --> 00:19:46,640
in a culture that the goal of our

601
00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:47,660
culture is not to work.

602
00:19:48,300 --> 00:19:49,840
And our young people have that goal.

603
00:19:49,940 --> 00:19:50,540
I don't want a job.

604
00:19:50,820 --> 00:19:51,940
I don't wanna work.

605
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:52,760
I don't like to work.

606
00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:53,780
I wanna sleep in.

607
00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:54,620
I wanna be on Netflix.

608
00:19:54,820 --> 00:19:55,720
I wanna scroll Instagram.

609
00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,440
And you older folks, retirement is the goal

610
00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:00,100
of our culture.

611
00:20:00,580 --> 00:20:03,320
And if we're not careful, we can think

612
00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:05,440
of retirement as praise God, I have to

613
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:05,700
do it.

614
00:20:05,740 --> 00:20:06,920
There's just, I don't have to work.

615
00:20:06,980 --> 00:20:07,660
I don't have to.

616
00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:10,800
And yet the Bible emphasizes here that work

617
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:12,800
is a very important part of life.

618
00:20:13,340 --> 00:20:15,800
And so don't allow your older years, I

619
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:17,500
say this often in our meetings, don't allow

620
00:20:17,500 --> 00:20:19,300
your older years to be your colder years

621
00:20:19,300 --> 00:20:21,680
because you retire and all you ever do

622
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,300
is you sit and watch TV all day.

623
00:20:23,300 --> 00:20:25,500
Maybe play a round of golf.

624
00:20:26,060 --> 00:20:27,680
Maybe go to a club with some friends

625
00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:28,340
and have a meal.

626
00:20:30,060 --> 00:20:32,540
Don't bypass the fact that the older years

627
00:20:32,540 --> 00:20:34,500
of your life can be great years of

628
00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:35,340
great blessing.

629
00:20:36,300 --> 00:20:38,360
And we can emphasize those years.

630
00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:39,660
We can invest those years.

631
00:20:39,780 --> 00:20:41,040
We can serve in those years.

632
00:20:41,220 --> 00:20:44,020
We can encourage in those years.

633
00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:45,160
We can teach Sunday school.

634
00:20:45,380 --> 00:20:46,240
We can disciple.

635
00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:47,500
We can be soul winners.

636
00:20:47,660 --> 00:20:48,980
We can go to the mission field.

637
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:51,540
There's all kinds of work that can be

638
00:20:51,540 --> 00:20:51,860
done.

639
00:20:51,860 --> 00:20:54,940
And if we're not careful, we look down

640
00:20:54,940 --> 00:20:56,120
on work in our culture.

641
00:20:56,460 --> 00:20:56,620
Yes.

642
00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,100
And we should not because righteousness and work

643
00:20:59,100 --> 00:20:59,700
go together.

644
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:01,740
We live, many of you know, we live

645
00:21:01,740 --> 00:21:03,200
in Florida and there are a lot of

646
00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:08,740
advertisements for retirement communities and it's 55 and

647
00:21:08,740 --> 00:21:09,060
older.

648
00:21:09,580 --> 00:21:11,580
And David and I are just on the

649
00:21:11,580 --> 00:21:12,320
cusp of that.

650
00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,220
We are just, we are both 54 years

651
00:21:14,220 --> 00:21:14,460
old.

652
00:21:14,660 --> 00:21:16,460
And I saw an advertisement for it the

653
00:21:16,460 --> 00:21:17,920
other day when we were in the airport

654
00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,480
and we had just landed and David ran

655
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:21,180
to get the car.

656
00:21:21,180 --> 00:21:23,240
And I was looking at this advertisement and

657
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,240
I was thinking that that would be next

658
00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:25,700
year.

659
00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:27,780
We would be 55 years old.

660
00:21:28,420 --> 00:21:31,020
And obviously being in the ministry that we're

661
00:21:31,020 --> 00:21:34,360
in and everything, we are nowhere near financially

662
00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:35,520
able to retire.

663
00:21:35,820 --> 00:21:39,220
But I can't even imagine wanting that to

664
00:21:39,220 --> 00:21:41,380
go to a place where, and I'm not

665
00:21:41,380 --> 00:21:43,540
saying that it's wrong if you have gotten

666
00:21:43,540 --> 00:21:46,240
to a place in your finances and in

667
00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,980
your business that you can just retire and

668
00:21:48,980 --> 00:21:50,500
hand it off to someone else and maybe

669
00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:53,160
just handle a few things from a retirement

670
00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:53,600
place.

671
00:21:53,660 --> 00:21:54,320
That's awesome.

672
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:56,600
And I'm sure that you're still busy about

673
00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,440
whatever God would have you to do.

674
00:21:58,620 --> 00:22:01,860
But I cannot imagine David and I next

675
00:22:01,860 --> 00:22:03,900
year being like, okay, well, we're done.

676
00:22:04,020 --> 00:22:05,520
We're just gonna go play for the rest

677
00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:05,940
of our lives.

678
00:22:06,060 --> 00:22:08,540
I don't know how long God has us

679
00:22:08,540 --> 00:22:11,300
the rest of our lives on this earth

680
00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:12,700
and what he has us to do.

681
00:22:12,780 --> 00:22:14,840
And I'm not even saying that we're gonna

682
00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:17,140
do the same ministry we do for the

683
00:22:17,140 --> 00:22:17,840
rest of our lives.

684
00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:21,480
But I cannot imagine being done, just like,

685
00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:23,640
oh, let's just go play for the next

686
00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:25,720
however many years the Lord gives us.

687
00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,200
So I do know though that that's what

688
00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:29,240
our culture thinks of.

689
00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,440
Oh, you've put in 30 years of work.

690
00:22:31,580 --> 00:22:33,680
Well then maybe you need to be done.

691
00:22:34,300 --> 00:22:36,420
Yeah, and so here's what Matthew Henry says.

692
00:22:36,820 --> 00:22:38,960
Matthew Henry says that verse 16, talking about

693
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,400
righteousness in our work, is a reminder that

694
00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,460
God uses righteousness in work to build a

695
00:22:44,460 --> 00:22:49,640
life, to build contentment, and to enable us

696
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:51,160
to be a blessing to others.

697
00:22:51,700 --> 00:22:53,940
So yes, we're to build a life and

698
00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:55,840
don't allow your retirement years to cause you

699
00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:57,000
to fail to build a life.

700
00:22:57,700 --> 00:23:00,580
And don't allow your retirement years to lead

701
00:23:00,580 --> 00:23:02,300
you to a place of discontentment, but don't

702
00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:03,820
allow them to cause you to fail to

703
00:23:03,820 --> 00:23:05,060
be a blessing to others.

704
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,420
And you that are training children, we've got

705
00:23:08,420 --> 00:23:10,920
to train our children to do what's right

706
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:12,040
in their work.

707
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,600
That's a part of I'm working and I'm

708
00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:16,200
dependable and I'm gonna do the work.

709
00:23:16,340 --> 00:23:17,560
There's one more word here before we run

710
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:18,700
out of one more section.

711
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,920
We're talking about, we have to emphasize righteousness

712
00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,020
if we're gonna live a happy, successful life.

713
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,660
And so Solomon talks about righteousness is connected

714
00:23:26,660 --> 00:23:28,540
to our treasures, connected to how we deal

715
00:23:28,540 --> 00:23:31,040
with people, connected to our work, but it's

716
00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:32,600
also connected to our words.

717
00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,520
When our words are in righteousness, we are

718
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,000
valuable and useful.

719
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,640
But when our words are unrighteous, as Solomon

720
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:41,740
is making the case, we have no value.

721
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:46,000
There's no value in unrighteous words, but there's

722
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,880
great value and usefulness in words that are

723
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:49,200
righteous.

724
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:51,480
So righteousness is an important area.

725
00:23:51,660 --> 00:23:52,740
And of course, we could probably talk about

726
00:23:52,740 --> 00:23:53,220
it all day.

727
00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:55,880
How do you incorporate righteousness in your life?

728
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:57,960
And you do that by learning to think

729
00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:00,340
in terms of, well, what is right?

730
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:02,420
What does the Bible say?

731
00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,780
What would be the right response in this

732
00:24:04,780 --> 00:24:05,280
situation?

733
00:24:05,460 --> 00:24:07,900
What is the right step to take?

734
00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:10,460
How do we handle this in the right

735
00:24:10,460 --> 00:24:10,740
way?

736
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:12,580
So it's a very practical, the word sounds

737
00:24:12,580 --> 00:24:13,480
so theological.

738
00:24:14,020 --> 00:24:15,280
Right, righteousness, yes.

739
00:24:15,420 --> 00:24:16,540
But it's a very practical one.

740
00:24:16,700 --> 00:24:18,640
So a couple of questions here to kind

741
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:19,540
of wind things up today.

742
00:24:20,060 --> 00:24:22,540
What steps can a parent take to help

743
00:24:22,540 --> 00:24:24,440
their children embrace righteousness?

744
00:24:25,020 --> 00:24:27,020
Any thoughts off the top of your head,

745
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:27,420
my love?

746
00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,420
Well, I would say that, first of all,

747
00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,640
you do need to think that there is

748
00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,280
a definite right and there is a definite

749
00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:36,880
wrong.

750
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,060
And we have embraced so much in this

751
00:24:39,060 --> 00:24:42,540
culture, even in Christianity, to an extent of,

752
00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:45,800
well, there's no right or wrong way that

753
00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:46,280
way.

754
00:24:46,380 --> 00:24:48,420
And while that may be true when it

755
00:24:48,420 --> 00:24:53,480
comes to some methods of parenting, whether you,

756
00:24:53,780 --> 00:24:56,260
let's say, how you're going to feed your

757
00:24:56,260 --> 00:24:57,700
baby when your baby first comes.

758
00:24:57,720 --> 00:24:59,120
Are you going to be a nursing mother?

759
00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:00,520
Are you gonna be a bottle mother?

760
00:25:00,780 --> 00:25:02,500
There is no right or wrong way there.

761
00:25:02,740 --> 00:25:04,640
You just have to do what practically works

762
00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:05,540
for your family.

763
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:09,560
But there are things, when it comes to

764
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,080
the truths of the word of God, that

765
00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:13,280
definitely would be right or wrong.

766
00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:14,660
So first of all, I would say you

767
00:25:14,660 --> 00:25:17,040
have to embrace, yes, there is a right

768
00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:18,560
way for us to lead our family.

769
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:20,520
And then you need to get into the

770
00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,680
word of God and see what that is,

771
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:26,420
and then embrace it yourself and then teach

772
00:25:26,420 --> 00:25:27,040
it to your children.

773
00:25:27,420 --> 00:25:28,480
I was thinking about our family as well.

774
00:25:28,540 --> 00:25:29,200
That's really good, love.

775
00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:33,280
What steps did we take that helped make

776
00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,120
a difference in our children, especially now that

777
00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:35,580
they're adults?

778
00:25:35,740 --> 00:25:36,940
And I thought of at least three things.

779
00:25:36,980 --> 00:25:37,540
Do you agree with these?

780
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:39,540
We did a lot of talking in which

781
00:25:39,540 --> 00:25:41,020
we would say, that's not right.

782
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:42,000
See that right there?

783
00:25:42,060 --> 00:25:43,000
And we would do that even like in

784
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:43,420
a movie.

785
00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:45,200
We would do that in a TV program.

786
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:47,680
We may laugh at something, but follow it

787
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:47,940
up.

788
00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:49,600
And our kids, even our adult kids, will

789
00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:51,360
laugh at this sometimes now and joke about

790
00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:53,280
the fact that, well, way to mess up

791
00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:56,320
a movie because Belta and I are pretty

792
00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:58,720
quick to say, now, wait a minute, that's

793
00:25:58,720 --> 00:25:59,120
not right.

794
00:25:59,180 --> 00:26:00,200
That's not how you should live.

795
00:26:00,860 --> 00:26:02,660
That couple are making out and they're not

796
00:26:02,660 --> 00:26:03,240
even married.

797
00:26:04,140 --> 00:26:05,960
And look at how that person's dressed.

798
00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:06,880
That's not modest.

799
00:26:07,340 --> 00:26:09,740
So we're continually talking about, this is right,

800
00:26:09,820 --> 00:26:10,360
this is wrong.

801
00:26:10,420 --> 00:26:11,500
This is wrong, this is right.

802
00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:12,860
We talk about, we illustrate it.

803
00:26:13,540 --> 00:26:14,560
We always look for that.

804
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:15,680
And you know, when your kids are younger,

805
00:26:15,980 --> 00:26:18,440
part of the things about previous generations and

806
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,420
the lessons we would read and the things

807
00:26:20,420 --> 00:26:22,200
we would teach our children, you know, like

808
00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:22,760
the fables.

809
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,040
Sometimes a fable was about lessons of right

810
00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:25,480
and wrong.

811
00:26:26,340 --> 00:26:30,320
And in learning those, you know, teaching our

812
00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,060
children a story that had a lesson to

813
00:26:33,060 --> 00:26:35,000
it is far more valuable than laughing our

814
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:36,940
head off at an Instagram reel that has

815
00:26:36,940 --> 00:26:40,060
no point other than to get likes for

816
00:26:40,060 --> 00:26:42,320
a person who's making money from their Instagram

817
00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:44,260
reel or to make us just simply be

818
00:26:44,260 --> 00:26:44,760
entertained.

819
00:26:45,140 --> 00:26:46,540
So we did talk about it.

820
00:26:46,620 --> 00:26:48,420
We did illustrate it and we pointed out

821
00:26:48,420 --> 00:26:48,860
righteousness.

822
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,360
We looked for opportunities to say, see how

823
00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:54,420
they're living, see the results of how they

824
00:26:54,420 --> 00:26:54,800
lived.

825
00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:55,980
Well, and we did that with like with

826
00:26:55,980 --> 00:26:57,860
my mom and dad because my mom and

827
00:26:57,860 --> 00:26:59,980
dad, you know, are not wealthy people, but

828
00:26:59,980 --> 00:27:02,500
my goodness, they have had a wonderful, valuable

829
00:27:02,500 --> 00:27:05,460
life by doing what's right and working diligently

830
00:27:05,460 --> 00:27:06,500
and working hard.

831
00:27:07,220 --> 00:27:08,200
And we would do the same with your

832
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:08,540
parents.

833
00:27:08,620 --> 00:27:10,320
Look at how Papa and Nana have lived

834
00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:10,840
their lives.

835
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:12,780
So we looked for illustrations.

836
00:27:13,060 --> 00:27:14,500
We pointed out, but we talked about it

837
00:27:14,500 --> 00:27:15,820
all the time to say, this is what's

838
00:27:15,820 --> 00:27:16,080
right.

839
00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:18,180
And in our busy culture, we don't do

840
00:27:18,180 --> 00:27:18,420
that.

841
00:27:18,540 --> 00:27:20,360
In our busy culture, we, you know, just

842
00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:21,980
run along, you know, oh, that was funny.

843
00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:22,860
Oh, that's hilarious.

844
00:27:23,500 --> 00:27:25,440
Our kids talk to us while we're looking

845
00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:26,760
at a screen and they're like, oh yeah,

846
00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:28,220
yeah, yeah, but we're not really listening.

847
00:27:28,220 --> 00:27:30,640
And what a lesson for all of us.

848
00:27:31,060 --> 00:27:32,940
If you're going to have a happy life,

849
00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:36,740
a successful life, a happy family, a successful

850
00:27:36,740 --> 00:27:40,080
family, Solomon is saying, here's where you start.

851
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,180
You have to emphasize righteousness.

852
00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:45,160
So he's covered three areas so far, wisdom

853
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:47,180
and purity and righteousness.

854
00:27:47,820 --> 00:27:49,620
And we're out of time for the day.

855
00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:51,920
Any further thoughts before we sign off today

856
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:53,880
and join next week for the next thought?

857
00:27:54,180 --> 00:27:55,940
I was just gonna say, as you're having

858
00:27:55,940 --> 00:27:58,080
those discussions with your children, especially as they're

859
00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,200
growing through those teen years and maybe college

860
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,080
years, there will be times that they will

861
00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:06,260
take a different approach than you do.

862
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,520
They may see it a little bit differently,

863
00:28:08,820 --> 00:28:11,880
but parents don't be afraid of that and

864
00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:15,800
welcome those conversations because you are there to

865
00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,440
point them to righteousness, to remind them of

866
00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:19,720
what the truths of the word of God

867
00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,980
says and to encourage them that there is

868
00:28:22,980 --> 00:28:24,960
a difference between right and wrong and that

869
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,980
there are steps of righteousness that might be

870
00:28:27,980 --> 00:28:31,240
better that they could be taking and then

871
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:34,180
don't shy away from the conversation and don't

872
00:28:34,180 --> 00:28:36,700
be scared of it and always be loving

873
00:28:36,700 --> 00:28:39,700
through it and then take that responsibility very

874
00:28:39,700 --> 00:28:44,480
seriously because we are hopefully examples of righteousness

875
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,660
to our children and teachers of righteousness.

876
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:49,220
Yes, and I would just add to that,

877
00:28:49,340 --> 00:28:51,080
moms and dads, it's okay to say to

878
00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:53,480
your children, well, I understand that you may

879
00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:56,180
do this differently when you're an adult, but

880
00:28:56,180 --> 00:28:58,120
right now you're in my home and this

881
00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:00,000
is what you have to do now and

882
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:01,860
I find it interesting that sometimes our children

883
00:29:01,860 --> 00:29:03,480
are like, you know, well, I don't agree

884
00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:04,640
with that, I don't see that, but I

885
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,520
have observed over and over again as our

886
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,280
children reach maturity in adulthood, many, many times

887
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,160
they look back and go, you know what?

888
00:29:12,220 --> 00:29:13,420
I think you were right and I'm gonna

889
00:29:13,420 --> 00:29:16,280
do it this way, but don't let those

890
00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:18,240
teen years be the years in which you

891
00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,560
give in and say, well, you go ahead

892
00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:21,160
and decide.

893
00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:24,060
You are still the parent, you decide what's

894
00:29:24,060 --> 00:29:26,580
righteous, they have the privilege someday to be

895
00:29:26,580 --> 00:29:28,700
on their own, but when they are under

896
00:29:28,700 --> 00:29:33,580
your responsibility, emphasize righteousness, it works.

897
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,280
Well, we're out of time, thanks so much

898
00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:35,980
for listening today.

899
00:29:36,140 --> 00:29:38,340
We hope you've enjoyed this beginning of this

900
00:29:38,340 --> 00:29:40,020
kind of new idea of how we're teaching

901
00:29:40,020 --> 00:29:40,740
the book of Proverbs.

902
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,240
Joining us next week and we will continue

903
00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:45,220
talking about how to have a happy family

904
00:29:45,220 --> 00:29:46,620
and a happy life.

905
00:29:47,020 --> 00:29:48,820
In the meantime, remember to serve the Lord

906
00:29:48,820 --> 00:29:49,620
with gladness.

907
00:29:50,380 --> 00:29:53,300
The Keeping It Young podcast is a BACS

908
00:29:53,300 --> 00:29:54,500
5 media production.