...I logged on, checked a few friends' posts, then logged off. Just to say I did. :)

Hope everyone is doing well.

Receiving presents...giving presents...pecan pie...turkey...mashed potatoes...cinnamon rolls...sleeping in...going to bed at a reasonable hour...pumpkin pie...colorful lights...

Yet nothing beats being with your whole family for Christmas. Now if only she were here... :)

In the first few chapters of Proverbs, King Solomon emphasizes the value of seeking and finding wisdom. One of the analogies Solomon uses to explain how one can gain the Lord's understanding is that of the parents and son. The father and the mother are telling the son to listen to their teachings, and abide by them, as in 1:8. Over and over, Solomon uses this same illustration, making the same the same point: LISTEN to wisdom.

I began to wonder: Why does Solomon say that so many times?

One reason may be that sons/daughters (figurative for those that lack wisdom) have difficulty WANTING to listen to the advice and wisdom of others. Young people, teenagers and young adults alike, often feel like they have all the answers and that no one can tell them what to do. This is just a natural part of wanting to mature into independent thinkers and doers. Yet if we allow this attitude to grow into an arrogance against our parents, our grandparents, teachers, older Christians, and elders, it is sinful.

Listening to wisdom requires a humble heart, one that recognizes a lack of wisdom and thus a need for learning. A humble person knows that he must trust, not in his own understanding, but on the wisdom of God. He is not wise in his own eyes, but is seeking to gain knowledge from another.

In our lives as young people, there are many who can help us gain the wisdom of the Lord. We must not close our ears to the teachings of the older, more experienced, and wiser. Christians who have been faithful for many, many years have studied their Bibles much more than younger Christians, and thus may have more knowledge of what it means and how we can apply its principles. Giving them proper respect requires us to listen to what they have to say.

As a qualifier, I am not claiming that every older Christian is going to be more right about everything than younger Christians. In fact, that is often times not the case. However, when we know an older Christian is wrong about something, our attitude toward them must not become disrespectful.
In a matter of judgment, of which there are many, sometimes it is a young person's responsibility to submit to the elder's (older person's) choice, out of respect and humility. Again, we must not become disrespectful or arrogant against a "traditional" point of view if it is not wrong. In fact, that traditional way of doing it may be the wiser choice than the alternative.

Stated concisely, my only point is that young people need to be humble enough to listen to the wisdom of older people.

"You younger men [and women], likewise be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time..."

(1 Pet 5:5-6)

If we cannot humble ourselves under our elders (overseers/bishops AND older ppl), does that mean we are having trouble humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God?

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Have a great day, everyone!

I have updated.

I am more excited about my classes this semester than any other previous semester. Classes include:

Revelation
Ezekiel
2 Corinthians/1-2 Timothy/Titus
Historical Apologetics (first Moyer class - this will, perhaps, be my favorite class)
Greek
Band (Tour '10 to TX, here we come!)

God has presented me with another opportunity to learn about His world and word, for which I am so very thankful. My goal this semester is to place more of a purpose on my learning - I hope that I can use what I learn to motivate others to love learning and understanding God's word.

God bless.