*Scripture: Proverbs 20:5-25 (NKJV)* 5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. 6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man? 7 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. 8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”? 10 Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike, an abomination to the LORD. 11 Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right. 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both. 13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread. 14 “It is good for nothing,” cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts. 15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. 16 Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger, and hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress. 17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. 18 Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war. 19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. 20 Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness. 21 An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. 22 Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you. 23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD, and dishonest scales are not good. 24 A man’s steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way? 25 It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows.
*Devotion* In today’s reading, we see a couple of verses that focus on children. One of them is verse 11: “Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.” What do we see in this verse? Accountability. So many people want to excuse children from accountability, which has lead to all kinds of trouble later on in their lives. Even certain Christian denominations are reluctant to hold children responsible for their actions until they reach the “age of accountability.” But Scripture sings a different song. In Psalm 51:5 we read: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Therefore, the Bible says we are accountable even from the time of conception, as we are all inheritors of the sin of our parents. How does this sin become manifest? “Even a child is known by his deeds…” A child does not only cry when he is hungry, wet, or hurt. He also cries when he does not get his way. It is our inborn nature to think solely of self, and that comes out very early in life. We need to be taught how to think outside of self, and toward one another. Enter the Christian parent highlighted in verse 7: “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.” Through the godly examples of moms and dads children are blessed to walk in their footsteps. Let us pray for all Christian parents to encourage their children to walk in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (see Eph. 6:4). Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
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