Most teens don’t want advice from adults. Especially from parents! Sure they’ve lived longer, you say, but do they really understand the world I live in?
Of course, you can’t say that about God. When you read God’s Word, you listen to God and learn how to live right every day. What will you gain if you read the Bible for advice?
• You will understand what is right and just (Proverbs 2:9).
• You will gain wisdom and be protected by it (Proverbs 2:10–11).
• You will be saved from the ways of the wicked (Proverbs 2:12).
The Bible is filled with treasures that can be yours if only you look (Proverbs 2:4).
Ever imagine that this Bible would have a word about pornographic websites? It does. Not that it mentions them by name. What it says is “guard your heart” (verse 23). Don’t let the essential “you” become corrupted. Look straight ahead, not out of the corner of your eyes at stuff you wouldn’t want others to know you’re watching. Also, you know the expression “Garbage in, garbage out”? Your mind works that way too. If you want to keep garbage out of your life, don’t let it in.
If God made sex for people to enjoy, why do some people get AIDS and other STDs?
Kyle
Dear Kyle,
Did you ever get a present and have to read the instructions before you used it? When microwave ovens were first available, a woman used one to warm her cat. It did warm the pet, but it cooked its organs and killed the cat. The oven was wonderful, but its owner didn’t read the instructions on how to use it and how not to use it. Does that mean microwave ovens are too dangerous or that you shouldn’t use them? No, but you need to follow the instructions in order to enjoy them without getting hurt.
The urge to have sex can be very powerful as well as very dangerous. You need to know and follow God’s instructions for this wonderful gift. God knew marriage would be a difficult, lifelong commitment. So he gave husbands and wives a special gift, a way to bond together. Sex in marriage helps a man and a woman stay close in body and soul.
When people who aren’t married to each other have sex, it’s sort of like putting a pet in the microwave. Someone could be burned, damaged or killed (Proverbs 6:26–28). Having sex before marriage can bring an unwanted pregnancy or STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), many of which have no cure, some of which are fatal. And did you know promiscuous sex is also linked with serious depression? Why take the chance? It is much better to follow God’s instructions and enjoy this precious gift only after you are married, just as God intended.
Jordan
Q: What is more valuable than gold, silver or rubies?
BONUS: What’s the difference between being smart and being wise?
There are some things in the Bible we just don’t like to hear, like, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge” and “Whoever hates correction is stupid.” Hey, aren’t you old enough to make your own decisions about your own life? Maybe you are. But “discipline”—a word that means “training” as well as “correction” (and sometimes “punishment”)—is something everyone needs. The point of this proverb is that it’s stupid to rebel. Instead, make the best of your limits and learn all you can from them. Then when you’re on your own, chances are you’ll make more wise choices than stupid ones.
Q: What effect does a noble wife have on her husband?
BONUS: What effect does a disgraceful wife have on her husband?
Ever been the guest of honor at a surprise party? Well, you will be. And God is going to be the host. It’s a good idea to look ahead and plan for your future. Maybe you want to be a crime scene investigator, or have a career in science or sales. Maybe you have plans to be a physical therapist or a cosmetologist. It’s smart to take classes now that will get you where you want to go. But the one guarantee you have as you plan your “life path,” is that the Lord determines your steps. God is planning that surprise for you, and you can count on your future holding something great!
One of the hardest things in life is to say nothing. Suppose you find out that Jenny said something mean about you. Your first instinct is to get on the phone and tell Nikki what she did. And Nikki will tell someone else, and pretty soon it will get back to Jenny and then the whole thing will escalate. You know. You’ve seen it happen. So what do you do? The advice in this proverb is, do nothing. Say nothing. Chances are Jenny didn’t mean it . . . or that Jenny didn’t even say what someone told you she said. It’s hard to say nothing. But saying nothing ends the cruel circle. And gossiping may separate even the closest of friends.
My boyfriend usually offers me a beer when we are hanging out. He says it will relax me and that it’s okay because we’re not getting drunk. My parents would ground me for life if they knew I was drinking, but is it really that bad to relax a little?
Zoe
Dear Zoe,
Sometimes young people feel very grown up when they act like adults. But drinking alcohol is against the law until you become an adult for many good reasons. It can do a lot of damage quickly to bodies that aren’t yet mature. And it has other dangers too. Alcohol affects the part of your brain that inhibits or stops you from doing things you know you shouldn’t. And you don’t have to be drunk; sometimes a little alcohol is all it takes. When inhibitions are numbed away, many people become sexually active, only to regret it the next day. Perhaps this is why Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”
Tell your boyfriend you prefer not to drink alcohol and you don’t want him to keep asking you to. If he really cares about you, he won’t try to get you to do something you don’t want to. And if he doesn’t care about you enough to stop offering, maybe it’s time for you to move on without him.
Jordan
Q: What kind of person is it good to avoid?
BONUS: What does a gossip do with the secret you told him or her?
Five high schoolers were killed in alcohol-related accidents in one month. All went to the same school. Two weeks later eleven students from the same school were arrested at a party for underage drinking. People may drink because they think it makes them look cool, or to fit in with friends, or even as self-medication. But as these proverbs remind us, “in the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” (verse 32). Each of the five teens killed probably thought, “It can’t happen to me.” But don’t kid yourself. It can happen to anyone. Even you.
Want some “friendly” advice? There’s a lot of it in proverbs. Like, “wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” “Do not forsake your friend” (27:10). “Gossip separates close friends” (16:28). “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person” (22:24). “The righteous choose their friends carefully” (12:26). A true “friend loves at all times” (17:17). Be wise choosing your friends. Life will be richer . . . and easier.
Q: When is it better to be poor than rich?
BONUS: What don’t those who want to be rich understand?
Why care about justice for the poor? Because having concern for others is a mark of righteousness. “Justice for the poor” means making sure that everyone has a chance for an education and access to a job. It means making sure the rich aren’t taking advantage of the poor. And it also means making sure that the children of the poor have food to eat and clothes to wear. Many churches actively minister to the poor in their communities. What do Christians in your community do? And what can you do to help?
Have you ever heard that women aren’t supposed to do “men’s work”? That they are supposed to stay home, clean house and cook?
In Old Testament times most men worked the land. They hired workers, they bought and sold produce, they gave to the poor, they took care of their families. That’s what is fascinating about Proverbs 31. The noble wife does much the same work as her husband:
• She supervises employees (Proverbs 31:15).
• She buys and sells land (Proverbs 31:16).
• She invests her earnings (Proverbs 31:16).
• She makes a profit trading her produce (Proverbs 31:18).
• She gives to the poor (Proverbs 31:20).
• And she cares for the needs of her family (Proverbs 31:21).
God has given abilities to both men and women. There is nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home mom, or with having a career.
Proverbs
Good Advice.
Proverbs are short sayings that help people make wise choices.