50 Days of Wisdom
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Wisdom is a skill in living that begins with fearing God, then progresses to guarding your mind, choosing your companions, controlling your body, monitoring your words, pursuing your work, managing your money, and loving your neighbor. Very simple. But that’s it. And when you’ve done that, you’ve learned wisdom. It’s vital to be taught wisdom. For example, as a father, if I fail to teach my son to fear God, the devil will teach him to hate God. If I fail to teach my son to guard his mind, the devil will teach him to have an open mind. If I fail to teach my son to obey his parents, the devil will teach him to rebel and break his parents’ hearts. If I fail to teach my son to select his companions carefully, the devil will choose them for him. If I fail to teach my son to control his body, the devil will gladly teach him to give it completely over to his lusts. If I fail to teach my children to enjoy speech that is honorable to God, the devil will fill their mouths with filth. If I fail to teach my children to pursue their work, the devil will make them lazy. If I fail to teach them to manage their money, the devil will teach them to waste it on riotous living. If I fail to teach them to love their neighbor, the devil will gladly teach them to love only themselves. And the only reason I can pass such wisdom on to my children is because God has graciously made it all available in the Bible.
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Planting Trees for the Future
Scripture is filled with practical wisdom with regard to raising children. For example, Ephesians 6:4 says, “Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” That means to teach your children what’s in the Bible and hold them to that standard. The same verse tells us what not to do: “Do not provoke your children to anger.” So how do you provoke your children to that kind of anger? Let me give you a short list. One is by overprotection. Two is by favoritism. Three is by pushing achievement. Four is by overindulgence. Five is by discouragement. Six is to make them feel like an intrusion in your life and fail to sacrifice for them. Seven is by failing to allow them to grow up, by not letting them make mistakes. Eight is by neglect. And nine is by bitter words and physical cruelty. Those are just a few ways to provoke our children to anger, bitterness, and discouragement. So what should we do? Let’s go to the positive: Raise them up, “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” That’s very basic. The discipline and instruction of the Lord are based on Scripture. This means that, according to Deuteronomy 6, the law of the Lord should be meditated on continually and taught to your children. Now, the word discipline means to rear a child, and it implies training. Training means rules and regulations enforced by rewards and punishment. That’s what you have to do with a child. You say, “Here’s the standard; we set it, we follow it, and we hold you to it. If you meet it, we reward you. If you violate it, we punish you.” It's that simple and straightforward. So discipline, then, is training by rules and regulations enforced by rewards and punishment, and we have to do that. But what about the word “instruction”? That’s obvious. That simply means teaching with a warning in mind. The word "admonition," also refers to verbal instruction that is intended to provide guidance or caution regarding potential judgment. We warn them. That’s teaching with teeth in it. It says, “If you keep doing that, there’s going to be a consequence.” Susanna Wesley, the mother of 17 (including both John and Charles Wesley), once wrote, “The parent who studies to subdue self-will in his child works together with God in the renewing and saving of a soul. The parent who indulges self-will does the devil’s work, makes religion impractical, makes salvation unattainable, and does all that lies in him to drown his child’s soul and body forever.” Now look, we make mistakes with our children, and God forgives us. But if the general format is right, we have a standard, we live by that standard, we hold them to that standard, and all of this is in an environment where Mom and Dad love each other and love the children, then you’ve got the makings of godly children. So on this Mother’s Day, while we still enjoy some biblical shade provided by trees that were planted by our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Shaded to some degree by their moral standards, spiritual commitments, value systems, sense of right and wrong, and commitment to duty. It would be well if parents today would again commit themselves to planting some trees like this for the future. Repent and believe! GTY.org (80-69) - Shade for Our Children – 80-69
Today's Wisdom
April 27, 2026
Day: 907
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My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, “I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.
The Truth in Love,
Mark Paul - Servant of God
Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen
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