Proverbs for the Graduates
Prov. 3:1-10
Introduction: My heart is burdened for the bright wonderful young people who are about to graduate. On the one hand I am encouraged and excited about the possibilities that await them; but on the other hand, I am concerned about their spiritual futures.
The Lord has many warnings to young people in His Word. The Book of Proverbs alone offers dozens of such warnings about everything from choosing right friends to the choosing of a mate to sexual purity.
You will hear many well-meaning people tell you to “follow your dreams” or “follow your heart”. That is not my intention tonight. If you will give me your undivided attention for just a few minutes, by God’s grace I will endeavor to challenge you to follow the Lord, starting now — for the rest of your lives.
I. DON’T FORGET THE WORD! Pro_3:1-2
A. Keep it in your heart.
1. You need to be at church to hear it preached.
2. You need to read and study it on your own.
3. You need to memorize it.
4. You do all this to OBEY it!
B. There are benefits for doing so.
1. Length of days
2. Long life
3. Peace
II. DON’T FORSAKE MERCY AND TRUTH. Pro_3:3-4
A. Bind them about your neck. (Make them a part of you.)
B. Write them upon your heart. (Make it real to you in your inner being.)
C. Benefit – favor and good understanding in sight of God and man.
III. TRUST THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART. Pro_3:5-6
A. Don’t trust your own understanding.
1. Not your thinking
2. Not your feelings
3. Not your experience
Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
B. Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways.
1. Acknowledge Him as your Lord.
2. Acknowledge His right to you.
3. In all your ways.
a. Picking friends
b. Picking career
c. Dating!
C. Benefit – God will direct your paths!
IV. DON’T BE WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES! Pro_3:7-8
A. Fear the Lord
1. Fear His judgment of sin
2. Fear disappointing our Heavenly Father
3. Respect and reverence all that pertains to Him.
B. Depart from evil.
1. Run from it.
2. Keep running from it.
3. Keep on running from it.
2Ti_2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
C. Benefit – Health (physical & spiritual) *You never have to worry about STD’s if you remain pure.
V. SPEND AND BE SPENT FOR THE LORD. Pro_3:9-10
A. Give God your best all the time!
B. Give God honor with what you have!
C. Benefit – Your needs will be met.
Conclusion:
Ecc_12:1
(1) Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Ecc_12:13-14
(13) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
(14) For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
I beg you by the Word of God to give up control of your future to the Lord Jesus Christ! Obey Him, and decide to live a Christ-dominated life from this day forward. Leave everything to follow Him.
Mar_10:28-30
(28) Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
(29) And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
(30) But he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
If you find this too difficult, or if you believe this is unreasonable, perhaps you should check your own hearts to see if you are truly saved. Paul said this was reasonable in
Rom_12:1-2
(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
May 18, 2007 at 3:27 am
great advice for graduates. I have four key things that I encourage youth to do:
1. Follow your ear (Faith comes by hearing)
Sensitize your ear to the imperceptible voice of the divine that speaks within you.
2. Follow your nose (Smell the future)
Strive to perfect your ability to smell what is coming. The better your leadership smell buds, the more accurate you will be in anticipating inevitable happenings.
3. Follow your eyes (Look before you think)
They say “Look before you leap” but I say, “Look before you think and then think before you leap.” As a leader, you must be able to first analyse a situation, synthesise it and then pounce on it. Because leaders possess the big picture and see the whole view before their followers, they can easily be enticed by what looks appealing. Leaders should be able to see, then use their minds and determine the right course of action.
4. Follow your gut (Intuition is your greatest friend)
Intution is a leader’s best friend. Leaders should be able to sense things so that they are not caught unawares.
May 21, 2007 at 10:10 am
Mr. Najoli,
I was not really giving advice, I was proclaiming what God had commanded. That may seem like a subtle difference, but it is not.
May I comment on your four encouragements:
1) “…and hearing by the Word of God.” God has revealed Himself in His written word, not in a “divine voice” within us.
2) The Bible would say to “try all things” with the truth of Scriptures. We already know some things that are going to happen.
3) I believe #3 is pretty sound advice. However, the big picture should come into conformity with the Word of God first.
4) This one I have a real problem with. I do not believe that intuition is a leader’s best friend. Our intuition, or that which is innately a part of us which is tempered by experience, can sometimes be called “heart” in the Scriptures. The Word of God is our best friend and guide, nothing else even comes close.
Thanks for commenting…
Art Dunham