Mission Faithwalk

                 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too, is vanity and a great evil. (Ecclesiastes 2:21) This verse brings to mind a term we don’t hear as much as we used to: Trust Fund Baby. At one point, it referred to someone whose parents or grandparents set up a fund so that the child would never have to work. Generally speaking, these trust fund babies were depicted as shallow, entitled, narcissistic, and nihilistic. Unfortunately, I don’t think the trust fund babies disappeared. I think the malady spread to a larger chunk of the population, even among those whose parents and grandparents couldn’t afford to set up such a fund. And if the parents or grandparents can’t afford it, they expect the government to step in. And the man in the verse above refers to the parents or grandparents who labored with wisdom, knowledge, and sk...

             A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.  (Proverbs 13:22)             Legacy : 1) Money or property you receive from someone after they die; 2) Something that remains from part of your history or that remains from a previous time.             Originally, legacy was associated with a rank or position that was delegated. There might, or might not, be land or wealth involved, but the title or responsibility were. Today, it seems to have more to do with a contribution to the general good, or the basis on which one’s reputation after death is based. There doesn’t seem to be much in Scripture that speaks of a legacy. Tomorrow’s verse is the only one that uses the word. But there are a few references to “children’s children,” starting with today’s....

  It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood  shall be  on his own head, and we  shall be  free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood  shall be  on our head if a hand is  laid  on him. (Joshua 2:19) The Lord will return his blood on his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know  it : Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. (I Kings 2:32) then hear from heaven and act and judge Your servants, punishing the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. (II Chronicles 6:23) His mischief will ...

                 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate . (Proverbs 31:30-31) Today’s passage tells us that the things the world tends to think are vital to women’s lives, the ability to delight, please, or manipulate others, and beauty, aren’t as important as fearing the Lord. The world also tells us that fearing the Lord is being phobic or living in constant terror. But fear also means to revere Him, which means to respect Him. What does that mean? The short answer is that she loves the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength and loves her neighbor as herself. The longer version is that she lives in a way that gives those around her confidence that she will do them good. She takes an interest in her life and fulfills her responsibilities. She take...

                 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” (Proverbs 31:28-29) One of the problems immediate family members have is that, quite often they know the others in their family too well. Oh, if we are polite or loyal, we’re likely to be mildly positive or silent about those we know best. Some of us might even heap on praise because their looking good makes us look good or our praise makes us look good. See what good relatives we are? Granted, some people consider me jaded or cynical, but what would you think about someone who regularly told you what a bad job their parents did in raising them, or that they were rather pathetic? Now, the king’s mother may have been one of those perpetually positive, over-the-top sorts, especially when giving advice, but let’s go with it. What is needed to earn this sort of praise – honestly? Let’s s...

           She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. (Proverbs 31:26-27) Ah, WDA (Wisdom, Direction, and Attitude) in action. My favorite prayer is answered in this woman. What comes out of her mouth is worth listening to, but she doesn’t just tell others how to live their lives, she lives what she speaks.  We don’t learn to be like her by paying for a webinar. We learn by the way she lives.Granted, she didn’t have social media vampires living in her home, but the gossip machine existed in a more basic form. Instead, she not only didn’t join in the gossip, but she also gave them very little to gossip about. “Yep, Ruby’s house was in order today. Did you know she bought a shovel to replace the one that snapped in half? She made 12 sashes for the businessmen. Her attire was practical, well-made, clean, discrete, and in good condition. Not o...