We live in a world of illusion, with people trying to Business magazines praise the "pyramid climbers" who
Proverbs
Holy Spirit is to experience truth (1 John 5:6). God is a God of truth, and those who know Him by faith have no desire to frolic in the senseless illusions of the world system (2:15–17).
for the Word of God that parents seek to teach to their children. "A fool despises his father's instruction" (15:5). "He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded" (13:13). Sometimes children go off to college or a university and get poisoned by ideas that are contrary to Scripture, and then they come home to tell everybody how stupid and old-fashioned their parents are. If children maintain this haughty attitude, they'll eventually rob their parents (28:24), curse their parents (20:20), and bring shame to their parents (19:26).
4. Greed "He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house" (Prov. 15:27 nkjv). "Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied" (27:20 nkjv).
A 1994 Money magazine survey indicates that Americans are a greedy lot and will even cheat to "make money." Twenty-four percent said they wouldn't correct a waiter who undercharged them, up from 15 percent in 1987; 9 percent said they'd keep money found in a wallet, up from 4 percent in their 1987 survey.10 Here's the saddest of all: Twenty-three percent said they'd be willing to commit a crime to "get $10 million" if they knew they wouldn't get caught! The love of money is still a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). God calls covetousness idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5) because a covetous heart puts something else in the place that God rightfully should occupy in our lives. But the modern business society applauds covetousness and calls it "ambition" and "the first step to success." Business magazines praise the "pyramid climbers" who get to the top, no matter how they got there. Unfortunately, this contemporary view of success has invaded the church, and some Christian workers have thrown ethics and godliness aside in their quest to become important and successful.
Under the old covenant, children who disobeyed their parents and broke the law were in danger of losing their lives. I'm not advocating that disrespect for parents be made a capital crime today, but passages like Deuteronomy 21:18–21 and Leviticus 20:9 show how seriously God takes the fifth commandment: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Ex. 20:12 nkjv; see Eph. 6:1–4). Children who don't respect godly, loving parents aren't likely to respect teachers, policemen, or any other authority symbol in society.
3. Illusion We live in a world of illusion, with people trying to impress each other. "One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth" (Prov. 13:7). Worth is measured by wealth, not by character and conduct; as long as people have money and fame, they're considered important. To be "rich and famous" is the ambition of millions of people; until they reach that goal, they enjoy riches and fame vicariously as they follow the career of their favorite celebrity.
An Arabian proverb says, "Covetousness has for its mother unlawful desire, for its daughter injustice, and for its friend violence." Is it any wonder that our modern covetous society witnesses so much injustice and violence? The only cure is to change the heart and replace desire for things with devotion to God, and only Jesus Christ can perform that miracle.
Wise people believe God's truth and live for reality and not for illusion. "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception" (14:8 niv). Some of the deceptive illusions people are foolishly clinging to today are
If believers today would read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, they'd meet Mr. Hold-the-World, Mr. Save-All, and Mr. Money-Love; they'd discover what Bunyan thought about Demas, the one-time associate of Paul who fell in love with "this present world" (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24; 2 Tim. 4:10). While it isn't a sin to be wealthy—Abraham and David were both wealthy men and yet godly men—it is a sin to want more than we really need and to keep what we ought to give. Covetousness is like cancer: It grows secretly and robs us of spiritual health, and the only remedy is to cut it out.
"There are no consequences, so do as you please." "If it feels good, it is good." "The important thing in life is to have fun." "There are no absolutes." (What about this statement?) "The older generation can't teach you anything." "Commitment is enslavement. Stay free."
Those of us who have had to counsel disillusioned people, some of whom were contemplating suicide, know how damaging these lies can be in the human life. A life that's built on lies is bound to be disappointing and will eventually fall apart. It's only when we build on God's truth that we can withstand the storms of life (Matt. 7:24–29).
In chapter 7 of this study, we studied what Proverbs says about wealth, and there's no need to repeat it. The emphasis in Proverbs is on seeing material possessions as the gift of God, thanking Him for them, and using them for the glory of God and the good of others. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, taught his people:
To trust Jesus Christ is to know reality, because He is the truth (John 14:6). To know and obey God's Word is to know the truth (17:17), and to be empowered by the
Do all the good you can, By all the means you can,