Proverbs 19; Romans 3:23-31

Proverbs 19
I just finished this, and for some reason known only to my computer, it disappeared! So--I will begin again. Can't be defeated by technology. As you read through this Proverb, I'm sure you'll see many truths that you already know. But we always need to be reminded. I will comment on two of them.

v. 3 "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord." I have seen examples of this truth many times. People make bad choices. When the natural consequences of those choices come, they grow bitter against God!

v. 18 "Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives." If you still have children under your care or if you someday will, I think it's important to ask yourself, "What kind of adult do I want this child to become? Does this behavior contribute to his or her life as a responsible adult?" When I was teaching, I remember working with a certain belligerent child. On one particular occasion, I remember his misbehaving during a school program, "showing off" and generally calling attention to himself and away from the other children. I caught a glimpse of his parents who were laughing and whispering to one another as if this behavior was SO funny and SO cute. They were rewarding bad behavior. That child is a young adult now, and he has continued to reward THEM with years of bad behavior.

Romans 3:23-31
If this were the only passage of scripture we had, we would know how to be saved.
v. 23 We're all sinners, and we've fallen short of God's standard--which is perfection.
v. 24 God declares us righteous or right with Him through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. We don't deserve God's kindness (grace) toward us.
v. 25-26 "For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood." God even showed His grace toward people who lived before Jesus came when they had faith in what Jesus would some day do! "(God) declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus."
v. 27-28 "We can't boast because our salvation is not based on anything we have done. It's based on faith. "So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."