23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.
28 The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers.
30 The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. — Proverbs 10:23-32

Verse by verse in 10:23-32, we see a contrast. It's a contrast between the righteous man and the wicked man. And it's pretty captivating if we take time to read over it a few times.

Essentially, Solomon wants us to see all the benefits of being righteous by contrasting them with the ways of the wicked man. He wants us to see the difference in the desires (10:23), motivation (10:24), and their end (10:25). And then he switches up the order by giving priority to the righteous man and shows us his longevity of life (10:27), his hope that bring joy (10:28), his strong action (10:29), his longevity of life (10:30), his speech (10:31), and his knowledge (10:32).

Like any good father, Solomon points out the two paths that a son can take in life. One the way of the righteous. The other, the way of the wicked. And thus, we see the dilemma of Solomon in this text. You see, a father cannot make his children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren live righteously. He can only show them the way. He can communicate the choices on how to live life and illustrate the contrast, but then his child must choose.

And if you are a father, I want you to know we all experience this dilemma. But we are not the only ones. The Father of all the living does as well. But like a Good Father, he went to the furthest extent to invite his children to live a righteous life. He presented the perfect and ultimate sacrifice. The sacrifice of His Son for the salvation of all men. Yet still, each of his children must choose. They must choose, just as we did. They must choose to accept or reject his sacrifice for their sin. So today, let's pray for our kids. I want to encourage you to write their names in the comments below. And then let's pray for them — together. Mine need your prayers, and I will pray for yours. Let's commit and entrust their lives to a perfect Father. He's the best Dad of them all.

ASK THIS: Who are you praying for today?

DO THIS: Pray for them by name. And write their first names below so others can pray as well.

PRAY THIS: God I pray for _______________. May they know your righteousness and live a righteous life.

PLAY THIS: Good, Good, Father — Housefires.

Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/

Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd

Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at:
https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/
____________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Vince socially:
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller