Day 99 "An unattended field yields a crop no one wants, yet it still requires much attention."

Day 99

Matthew 11:16-19 "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament;' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."

I sure do like the way verse 19 ends. Like my grandpa used to say, "Son, the proof is in the pudding." I wasn't ever really sure (nor am I now) what proof had to do with pudding; however, I liken it to wisdom being justified by her children.

One morning, as I drove my daughters to school, they were commenting on how well behaved and well mannered their then 20-month-old niece was. Do you know how refreshing it was to be in the car with a 10- and 13-year-old who were impressed by the manners of an almost two-year-old? As we discussed this further, my daughters were showing their wisdom. The conversation came around to our family’s culture, one of teaching right from wrong and allowing them to experience the consequences of wrong choices, yet being there to teach and support them along the way. It actually turned into a great time of teaching as I explained to them that in our home Mom was the one who truly ran our household, while Dad was the re-enforcement, the one who was always there to support, encourage, protect, exhort, and the one responsible for their spiritual growth and prayer over them. You see, in Biblical home, (proverbs 31) a wife always places her husband and children above her outside career, why you ask? In my humble opinion there is not a more honorable or difficult career on this planet than that of being a Mother and Wife. The primary reason that my granddaughters are such well behaved children is first of all mom and dad love the Lord and live like it, and secondly They understand the Biblical role of family structure. I am not at all trying to minimize the role of fathers in the home, my son-in-law is a great young dad; however, we each have our roles, and it is far better to recognize those roles and encourage one another than it is to compete for roles or recognition.

But now, back to the point at hand: Jesus said to those watching His life, "But wisdom is justified by her children." If we focus on living a life based upon the principles of Jesus’ teaching, we need not attempt to prove anything to anyone, the proof will follow. The seed we plant and the nurturing we provide that plant will produce a crop, just like our lives; the effort we put into a Godly lifestyle will not go unnoticed either way. By the way, I am not insinuating that all children who go astray are due to poor parenting. There are other factors, such as choices; however, if we do not purpose to guide them and set a good example for them, they most assuredly will stray.

Daily Prayer: Father, help me to keep focused on living a life that produces good fruit, and teach me how to teach others. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

"An unattended field yields a crop no one wants, yet it still requires much attention."

Pastor Gene Burroughs