Beloved son of father and mother

Beloved son of father and mother

For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. (Pro.4:3-9)

Solomon was the son of David. He was tender and only beloved in the sight of his mother Bethsheba. A child of God should have the same testimony from his/her parents. There are many children of God who are known for their devotional life. But they do not have good testimonies from their parents. They do not love their old parents. Instead of taking care of them in their old age, they throw their parents into old age homes. Does your father call you "my son" today? Does your mother say that you are tender and only beloved in her sight? You may be a talented or "anointed" preacher. But if you do not have good testimony from your parents, you are a very big zero in your spiritual life. You are disobeying the very commandment of God to honor your father and mother.

It is the duty of the father to teach his children in the ways of God. The words of the father should be retained in your heart. If you do not have a father who is spiritual, there must be a spiritual elder to you to give you fatherly advices. Your father may not be a learned man. But you should obey him in the Lord. If you want to live long in this world, you have to honor your parents and keep the commandments of your father. Apart from obeying the commandments of your father and getting a good report from your parents, you should get wisdom and understanding.

Wisdom cannot be learnt through study but can be inherited from God through humility and repentance. Understanding can be obtained by study. You have to understand the Word of God by meditating on it. Wisdom and understanding should not be forsaken by you. Wisdom is the principal thing. Seek and get it. Then get understanding also. You may have wisdom but do not have understanding. Likewise, you may have understanding but do not have wisdom. You need wisdom from God to understand His word. If you are to be perfect, you need both wisdom and understanding. You have to love it.

Wisdom and understanding are shown as a single unit here. Exalt her (wisdom with understanding) and it will promote you. It will also honor you in this world. A child of God with wisdom and understanding will be more precious than a worldly man with all the doctorates. A worldly man despite his best education cannot compete with a child of God crowned with wisdom and understanding. The worldly man may have only understanding i.e. ability to understand the things of this universe but the child of God has wisdom to understand the things of this universe, the things of the world to come and the things of the heaven.

I always use to exhort the Christian students in the Lord to humble themselves before God and man and to repent of the sin in their lives. As they humble and repent, they get wisdom from above. With this wisdom, they can excel in their studies. "An ornament of grace: a crown of glory" are the rewards that one receives after receiving the gift of wisdom from God.

Next.....A model father