The Wonder Years

Do you remember the Wonder Years? Did you have Wonder Years? Do you remember the TV show? The Wonder Years. It was on over 25 years ago, and it told the story, and the growing up in the years of adolescence for Kevin and Winnie and Paul and Wayne. And it showed the dynamics in a family, but it also showed real life problems and issues and all the things that you go through. It was a time of wonderment.

It was a time of innocence. It's a time of learning lessons, heartbreak, joy. We've all kind of gone through that during our time growing up, and I think the TV show was very popular. I remember it because I enjoyed it, because every time something would go through his life as the narrator would be talking about himself 30, 40 years before, we could all relate to having to go through the Wonder Years.

And I talk about these years as the first 25 years of our life, from zero to 25. It's a unique time. It's a time where we learn a lot about ourselves. We learn a lot about the world. I talk about this because I kind of look at life in three different stages, zero to 25, 25 to 50, and then 50 to 75. But the zero to 25. You remember yours? You remember those times? I do as I was putting this together. It's the time we go through puberty, right?

It's the time that we first begin to feel like we're not a child anymore at certain ages. I remember getting a bicycle. I remember riding a bicycle when I was six years old. I was taught how to ride a bicycle. I fell the first time or two of my father would pick me up. I was done with it. I didn't want. That's what I'm going to get my knees scratched up and everything else. What fun was this? Then we started riding. Then you got to go, and all of a sudden I had freedom in our little town of Francisville, Indiana.

I could get on my bike and ride to the other side of town at six or seven years old. I didn't think anything about it back then. But then, as you began to grow up, you began, wow, your first car.

Oh, that was independence. When you were able to get in a car for the very first time, get behind a wheel by yourself. You had to go with your parents or other adults for a while, but then you had your license, and there was driving. It just felt so good that you were independent. You were a man. That's what I felt like at 16, little did I know. But those were the wonder years, as maybe you experienced the first crush you had on somebody.

And then maybe your first love that you had, you thought it was love, and then you get your heart ripped out. Or maybe it was your first kiss. You remember that. And the first day you walked into high school, like a fish out of water at times. But then, pretty soon you became, it was like coming to a different home.

You were used to it by then. Or maybe even the first time in those wonder years that you first walked on a college campus. And you realized, hmm, this is different than high school. I'm on my own, pretty much. How about that first job? The first real job, not a part-time job, but the first job you get during those first 25 years. Maybe you've gone to high school, gotten out of college, and you're given that first job, and you show up, and you get a real check.

A real check at the end of the week. And then you have to say, wow, I've got to start budgeting. I've got to start living. I'm becoming, I am an adult. I just didn't realize it was going to come so fast. You guys remember those? I think most of us do, because we make such an impression on us. Well, what about that third stage in life, the 50 to 75?

Called the twilight years, I've nicknamed it that. A lot of people reference that. Some people even called it the golden years. For a lot of people, it's not so golden, because even though you may not be working at 70, 75 years old, you have all kinds of time. You just don't have the money. And then when you have the money, you don't have the time. So that's life. That's life. But the twilight years, how do you know? Things change. Things change for you. They change for me. You see your mortality.

You end up going to more funerals than you do weddings. And you end up visiting people in the hospital that are your age. Then you get into the time of seeing doctors and finding names that you've never even thought of, like Squamous and melanoma, as I've had to have something relief taken off of my arm and my back, neck, where I spent too much time when I was younger. No wonder years out in the sun.

Didn't think anything about it. Thought I'd live forever at that time. Well, in your twilight years, you begin to realize that life's different now. And we all have to look at that. All of a sudden, we start recognizing when an envelope comes from the government and has Social Security on it. We begin to open it up and say, well, yes, this is us. This is going to be us in a few years. We also look back and say, why didn't I put more of my 401k? Why didn't I make some investments?

Mmm, yes. But you don't think about that. I bring this up because it is time for a lot of us to think, and especially those who are in the twilight years, as I am. I'm 61. And I hope I have quite a few years to go. I hope I make the 75.

But I have to think about life. I have to think about what I'm going to do after I quit pastoring, what I'm going to do in various stages of my life. What I want, as the old movie was, the bucket list. Maybe you're even thinking about, well, I want to do these things before I kick the bucket. But there's something that we need to do in the churches of God. And that is, it is time that we start thinking of passing the torch.

Passing the torch in the churches of God to another group of people, is who I want to talk about today. Because it's time that we recognize them for what they have and what they can give and what they can bring to the table. And it's time that they realize, we need you to step to the plate. We want you to be more involved. And that group is the middle years.

The middle years, from the age 25 to 50. Do you remember those years? Perhaps you do. The middle years are some of the best years. Most of us look back and realize for one thing, man, I had a dynamic time. I enjoyed life. My mind was more active. I hardly got tired. I could work all day.

You know, stay up till midnight, one or two in the morning. Get four or five hours of sleep. Get up the next morning. Go do it. Well, that's something I would never look forward to now. Now that I'm in my twilight years. But at that time, I didn't think anything about it. All I needed was one good night's sleep and I was back with energy.

What energy, passion, zeal, that is what the middle years are all about. It's about success. It's about success. It's the time of energy, zeal, health and passion. It's the time to build, to build physically, to build spiritually, to build financially, and build an emotional foundation where you recognize that you're adult. You're expected to conduct yourself in a certain way that you could never do before.

1 Corinthians 13, verse 11. 1 Corinthians 13 and verse 11. Paul's teaching, telling the Corinthians because Corinth was like New Orleans or some city that everybody went to have a party. You go, Corinthiansizing, as they called it. And everybody went, so it was a party city and of course that stems over into the church. So he was telling them, it's time to grow up. Because he said, when I was a child, I spoke as a child.

I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. The middle years. We began to put away childish things. We have people here who are young, people in their 30s still playing video games. Being sports fanatics. I love sports as much as anyone. But I realized I just couldn't hang around and watch sports all the time. I had a wife. I had obligations at work. I had to be training my mind for a lot of other things. Being controlled by media.

That is something that you grow out of. You grow out of what the latest fashions are as you think about these things. You begin to read more in the middle years. You begin to educate yourself. Continue to educate yourself. And hopefully part of that education is getting deeper into God's Word. As God wants to use to make a powerful impact on the churches of God, He wants to use people in their middle years.

Do you want to answer that call? Are you prepared to answer? Are you wanting to? Because you see, leaders are readers. It's a known fact. Your brain is operating at maximum efficiency. It is time for those who are 25 to 50. I can look back because I went through that time period, and I realized what a blessing it was. And the dynamics that you can bring to God's people, and your dynamic service to God.

It's time you use those gifts. Those gifts of having zeal, having passion, having health, having just an incredible mind, having energy. It's time. It's time that you use them. It's time that you dazzle the world with your creativity. Because creativity is something that you are blessed with at that age. We all have a little creativity, but it's amazing. As I think back at that time where I had my business, and I worked, but I would also do radio commercials.

I would drive down to Nashville once a week for almost a year. I would drive down and record, sometimes live, sometimes recording, radio commercials for my company. And I got to where I never even thought about it, because my mind was so much sharper. I'd hate to try to do that today, because I would drive the 30 minutes, and I would be in my truck, and I would have a piece of paper, put it on my steering wheel, and write the commercial right there.

Write the commercial, read it, and then just go in and give it. Mine was incredibly sharp at that time. We must use, you must use, this incredible mind, this incredible brain, the greatest thing ever created in a human being is the brain. We need to use that. I want to encourage, encourage our young people. I appreciate Benjamin willing to step here and serve, and willing to do that. And I want to give him, and Jeff wants to give him, the opportunity. We have young men in our church.

I want, and I encourage them to grow, and to use that zeal, use that health, use that passion, use that energy. They're going to make a few mistakes. Yes, I do too. I make them. Jeff, I think you've made at least once in your life, at least one. We need to, we need to use what God has given us, and I really feel, feel passionate about that.

But you must remember one thing, from the age of 25 to 50. Don't dull the senses. God's given you this incredible brain, this incredible mind. So in the middle years, don't dull the senses. Have a control over vices. We're told about that in Scripture, and we're looking at that a little bit later.

But I so remember certain individuals that I had time with, I've employed, or got to know them through business. And I remember one man, he graduated high school with me, and he later became a framer. And he had his own framing company and was doing very well. And then I didn't see him around for a while. And this was during the middle years. Later on, as I got to know him, when he was about 45, the head over Murfreesboro City Codes, I went in to pull codes, and his father was doing some building at that time, and used this guy for framing.

I said, man, I hadn't seen him in all this time. Where's he been? I said, I know he's a great framer. And he said, yes, but he's had his fifth DUI in the last ten years. And he can't get out of the bottle. He's still framed. In fact, he did a framing job for me, and he was just incredible.

He's gifted, credibly gifted. But he allowed advice to take him down. As a matter of fact, the head of City Codes said at the time, he said, you know, if he'd have stayed out of the bottle, and he'd have been focused on his business and everything he had, he was so sharp, he said, you and I would have been working for him, and half the city probably would have.

These are things that are important. God wants us to fulfill our destiny, not only in the physical life, but in the spiritual life. That's what I would like to encourage you. We have young men in the church. I saw them at the feast this year, and they had so much to offer. Their minds are sharp, and their energy, and their passion, and, ah, we can't let that go. We must use it. We must have this. I knew another young man. He was probably as gifted and talented as anybody I'd ever worked with, I'd ever been with, I mean, as he just totally meant, but he couldn't control his temper. He couldn't control his temper. He was 6'1", 220 pounds of just muscle, and just could work, work you, work you to death, and he could figure anything out. He just, he had an incredible mind, but he couldn't stay out of trouble because of his temper.

It went through three wives. One of his ex-wives, he went to visit one night and kicked in the door. And the guy she was with shot him twice. He should have died. He was stabbed three times. He'd fell, he'd fell from a 40' ladder one time. Should have taken him out. He went through, was driving a car, and drove off the road. And he went through the windshield, about 90 miles an hour when he hit a tree. Should have killed him. I thought he, when I saw him, I thought, man, how could he live through that? Well, he did. The only thing was his passenger didn't.

He was blessed during that time, but the, with all the abilities and talents, but he wasted him, because he ended up spending time in prison.

Spent a lot of the middle years in prison for bad decisions.

He was raised in the church, but he decided he didn't need it when he reached 18 years of age. He went out and did things his own way, and he showed.

His mother called me when he was 49 years old to do his funeral. Because he had had a massive heart attack. Due to cocaine use when he was in his middle years, it had deteriorated his heart, so at 49 he only had 20 percent use of his heart.

I bring this up because I do not want to see someone waste their talents and get carried away when there is so much to do. We're representing God in this world. And you see, the middle years are the best years. Not only do you know it, do I know it, but God knows it. God knows it. I want to go to a scripture. 2 Samuel 5, verse 4. David was 30 years old. When he began to reign, and he reigned for 40 years. Isn't that amazing? His son was the same way. Solomon was 30 years old and he reigned for 40 years. How about Luke 3 and verse 23? Luke 3 and verse 23. Now Jesus himself began his ministry at about 30 years of age, being as he was supposed the son of Joseph. David 30, at his peak! God was going to use him. Christ, at his peak! He was used. He allowed himself to be used by God. Will we, do we, want to not only use the God-given gifts we've been given, but also allow those who have those gifts to use them. How about another one? How about Genesis 41, verse 46? Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence and went throughout all the land of Egypt. Joseph became second in command at what age? 30. 30. 30. This is something... I mean, if this does not inspire you, if you're a young person, and he's even used earlier than that, Jeremiah, some of these other people used before that, but there's a common nominator here with people God has used and will continue to use because you're at your peak. Think about some of your athletes. Think of those athletes. They get incredible salaries because their time is not long, as the NFL, not for long, says or they talk about. But they get the best of them at that time. We need... I would love to promote that because even numbers... Let's go to numbers. If you have numbers, 4 and verse 3, these are the men who are put into the priesthood and said, from 30 years old and above, even to 50 years old, all who entered the service to do work in the Tabernacle of Meeting. This is God telling us He wants it our best.

He wants us. He wants those people to be able to serve, to be able to represent Him. This is so important to Him.

I want to give to you now from a renowned psychologist. He wrote an article, and I didn't bring it. I just made some notes from it because I found it very interesting. Because he was a psychiatrist, and really an anthropologist, who has studied for 60, 70 years. He wrote about certain ages of people he had worked with. He gave 7 insights of aging. He focused on this one point, on these few pages, on the age of 40, which is about the middle of the middle years, somewhere between 37 and 38. He focuses, and I think you'll find this interesting.

I'm not going to put them up, I'm just going to read them, and I'm going to copy them down. You can. But I found it very interesting because he, too, is saying or reinforcing what the Bible says about these middle years, and how it can be the best years, and what he's observed, and how 40 is such a unique age.

Because by that time, we have changed. I realized that from my own past when I was 40. When I was 38, 40, I thought I could walk on water. Thankfully, I didn't try. But I want to give this, his observations. First one he gives, 7 insights of aging. He said, when you're 40, you let go of some of your control.

You don't have to know everything, because, as a typical one, when we're younger, we think we know everything, and not until we learn the lessons through experience, and God teaches us and shows us that we find out we don't know everything.

The second insight he brings, when you're 40, you care less about how others perceive you. Remember how important it was? Remember how important it was in high school or college that you dressed like everybody, you looked like everybody, you just kind of had the same vocabulary. You would just talk about things, you would know about this, and you really cared how you were dressed, or how your hair was cut, or anything you did, or what kind of car you drove, and by the time you're 40, you really care.

You don't really care, because you've outgrown that. You've followed those instructions of Paul to the Corinthians. The third point, the fear of being alone subsides by the time you're 40. Fear of being alone, which means you are comfortable in your own skin. You don't need people to say, oh, great job you did. You don't need that. You're comfortable in who you are. And that's a gift. That's a gift. You don't carry a lot of baggage, oh, I'm no good because my parents said I was no good.

No, you've made yourself. You've educated yourself. You've become strong in who you are. Fourth one, priorities change. At 40, your priorities change. It's no longer, just let's go have some fun. Oh, here it is. Somebody's coming down. I just got to go do this. Oh, it doesn't matter if I have the money, or if I need the money for something else, and, oh, I'm supposed to pay rent, but hey, this great thing's coming in, so I've got to go do that, and I'll come up with the money somewhere.

You don't do that anymore. You're becoming mature. Your priorities change. Number five, your social circle gets smaller. You don't need a bunch of people around you. You appreciate those that are in your social circle. You begin to communicate with them because you're kind of on the same wavelength. Number six, you no longer care about pop culture.

No longer care what people say about certain things, and you don't even know who the top singers are. You don't know what was so important to you before you would know all the music you would know, sports thing you would know. You don't really care as much. You may enjoy it, but it's kind of like somebody says, Oh, don't you know cargo pants went out 20 years ago? You know what you say? I don't care. I like them.

I like them. I'm going to wear them. I'm going to wear them. You don't care if they're not in style because you're comfortable in your own skin. And number seven, and I think this is unique, and everyone can attest to this, people start coming to you for advice. People start coming to you and asking your opinion because they have seen how you conduct your life, how you carry yourself.

Isn't that so important to God? I mean, we are to be the lights of the world. He would love for young people to be more lights, be his lights. People are going, Wow, how do you do that? How come you're this way? How come you don't worry? How come you don't fret over this? What is it?

The wealthiest and wisest man to ever live.

You know who it is? Hopefully you do. He's got a few books in the Bible. The wealthiest and wisest man to ever live wrote in Ecclesiastes 4, verse 13, A wise young person is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive advice. You know why Solomon wrote that? Because he recognized himself as that old foolish king set in his ways. And that some young people had some really good ideas. I love it when some, when a middle age or middle years or any of even young people come up and they've got these ideas, they've got these questions about the Bible. They've thought through things and why don't we do this? Can we do this? How about this? I love that!

They're being creative. Do we use everything? No, there's some things we can't. But we can't stifle those incredible minds. In the Church of God, I look in the Caribbean and we've got some young guys that are just really sharp, incredible. We've got to use those talents. We've got to use those gifts.

A wise man once said, and I remember the statement, he once said when I was younger, a part of all you make is yours to keep. A part of all you make is yours to keep. And he was talking about making investment. You not only have to make investments in yourself, you make investments in God's work, you make investments for your future. And during your middle years, which a lot of people do not realize, it's so important to invest.

Invest in your future financially so that you're stable. And once you do this, it's not anything you really have to worry about because you learn to live unless and what you make. It's amazing because if you're at the age of 30 and you put $1,000 in the bank, and then every year for the next 30 years, you put $100 a week in a growth stock mutual fund, some type of investment, with a return of 6-7%.

Growth stock mutual funds have averaged 7-9 over the last 50-60 years. But during that time, those 30 years, you do that $5,000 a year, you've invested $150,000. Thought about that? $150,000 you will have at the end of 30 years except you leave out compound interest. You know, if you do that and will do that for 30 years, do it when you're 30 with $1,000 and put that in $100 a week for the 30 years, you will not just have $150,000, you will have $550,000 with compound interest.

Think you'll have to worry about something with a half a million dollars sitting in? No. But that's what you have the advantage of being able to do. Prepare. Have all this stuff set aside so that you can tell others, you can show others, you can help others. It's not time at 60 years old to start trying to invest in gross job mutual funds and hope you'll have those returns that you would over time because time makes you wealthy. So you have that and you have a house you pay for for 30 years.

Well, guess what? You're going to be sitting pretty well. That's the advantage of the middle years. And that's what I want to see people prosper. I want to see our young people prosper and not only help themselves but help others. So with the time I have left, I want to go to one of the best motivational, best financial, best self-help books that I know of. And that is the book of Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs, it is a must-read for anyone. Even outside the church, I have people that I said, how about Proverbs? Especially young people. Get them on. Let them live because it reinforces there's the good and there's a bad. And it tries to tell you, stay with the good. Stay with the good because you don't want the bad that is going to happen.

Sooner or later it's going to happen. You follow this path, you're going to go down this way. Follow this way and you're going to prosper and you're going to have a wonderful life. So it is a success manual. The book of Proverbs. I'd like to go into that now in the next 15 minutes. I'll go through. There's so many scriptures I could have pulled out of here. But I want to look at perhaps mostly the middle years. Some advice to those in the middle years.

Some advice to even us because everybody gets something. From the smallest child you can have and start reading Proverbs to them before they can even read. To the teenage years, to the middle years, to the twilight years. It is a book for everyone and it is powerful. Powerful. So let's go there. Let's go there. I'll turn to Proverbs 3. Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lay not on your own understanding. That's good for everybody.

But at this point, at the very start of Proverbs, he's talking to his younger son as Solomon is trying to get him to learn what's most important. To avoid the mistakes that he's made because Solomon did make some serious mistakes. Verse 6. In all your ways acknowledge him. Acknowledge God. Make realize don't do a Nebuchadnezzar where you talk about, Oh, look what I have done. Look what I built.

No. Look what we built. Thank you, God. As Benjamin talked about being thankful. We need to thank him for everything. Did you wake up this morning? Thank him. Can you breathe? Breathe well. Breathe halfway. Did you eat? Did you sleep good?

Are you keeping the Sabbath? Do you have joy in your life? Do you have family that you care about? Thankful. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path. I want somebody that is wiser and smarter than I am to direct my path. And he said he will. Verse 7. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Boy, have I done that before. But now that road. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. Simple. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. Let's go to chapter 4. Chapter 4 and verse 1. Here are my children.

So he's talking, Solomon had quite a few children. So here, let's look at this. He's even talking to the younger ones here. Here are my children the instructions of a father and give attention to no understanding. We all need better understanding. Give attention so that we can know things and not make mistakes. Verse 5. Chapter 5. Let's go to chapter 5. Chapter 5 and verse 18. I'm talking to the middle years. Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of your youth. How many times? I had a guy I ran into, I was probably 30, 32 at the time.

I ran into a guy from high school. He was kind of down on his luck and wanted some money or a job or something. I remember him coming by. I said, what have you been doing? For the last 15, 16 years. He said, well, I've been married five times. Five times? I'm divorced now. Went through divorce. He said, so literally I have nothing. I'm half the time I'm living in my car.

Not necessary. Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of your youth. Verse 19. As a loving, dear, and graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times, and always be enraptured with her love. Remember why you married her. Remember the wife of your youth. And remember, guys, every woman's got two. But you want to see a billboard? You want to get a guy's attention? Just put a cleavage or a set of breasts on the highway or on this thing, and guess what? People turn around. And God's saying, no! Let your wife's breasts satisfy you. Solomon didn't learn that lesson. Why? He had 2,000 sets of breasts. A thousand. Sorry, a thousand set of breasts. Two thousand breasts. And I don't think there's enough. One is enough enough. Because He's saying, always be enraptured with her love.

Do we want that? Do you want to lose everything? Because so much happens when you're in your middle years, and next thing you know, your job, you're being successful, you're traveling, you're this, and temptation becomes even greater. You need to be sure. Because when God's with you, you walk with confidence. You walk with confidence, and people see it. So does the opposite sex, whether you're male or female, and there's something different and unique about you. And, as we have heard in the sermonette, you're going to be tested. You're going to be tested! Don't blow it. Don't blow it. Be focused on God in His way. Let's go to the next one. Proverbs 6, verse 6, go to the ant, you sluggard. Well, you lazy person. We used to call you lazy bum. Go to the ant! Consider her ways and be wise. She doesn't need somebody to tell you. She is going to apply herself. You want to be prosperous? Fine. Go to work and be the best employee they have there. Be the best! Whatever it takes, be that best. And guess what? You'll never have to worry. You won't have to worry about a raise. If you're the best, and you're so sharp, and you do your job, and you don't get caught up in the politics of everything, they're going to do anything they can do to keep you.

But go to the ant. Learn that work isn't something you should dread. Work is something that you can enjoy. You see it in the Book of Proverbs, you see it in Ecclesiastes. Learn with your hands and enjoy what you've done, what you've accomplished. Look back at it. Say it's a gift. It's a gift. Use those gifts.

Chapter 9. Chapter 9, verse 8. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you. Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Rebuke a wise man? That's right. Because a wise man doesn't have a big ego. He can learn things. He can respect you. So he's also saying, don't waste your time on scoffers, negative people. Don't waste your time. You're in the middle of years. You're in your best years. Be wise. Also, guess what? Be around wise people. Be around wise people, because as they're all saying, water seeks its own level. You want to be wise? Hang around people who are wise. Wise people like wise people who get wiser people. Dumb people hang around dumb people who get dumber people. Right? You don't want that. Spiritual people hang around spiritual people. You get what? More spiritual people. It's there for us. It's what we should be doing. Verse 9, give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser. I want – I like to talk to people. I like to listen to people as much as I talk, and I talk a lot, but I like to listen, because I have learned a great deal. I've learned a great deal from business people. I've learned a great deal from members of the church, from the brethren. Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. Are we that way? Verse 10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It's not the end. It's the beginning. And the knowledge of the Holy One is really true understanding.

Incredible words to us. Incredible words not only to the middle years, but to all of us, but especially to those who have or are at their peak, even spiritually, how many scriptures you can retain. Remember all the things in the Bible, the stories and so forth. It's incredible. Let's go to Psalm 11. Psalm 11. Psalm 11 verse 1. Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. Now, this is for everybody. You may talk about scales, because they used to use the scales, and they would have a weight over here, and then they would put something on it, so it would end up, and they would balance the scales. God even said at that time, make sure you are more than just that you blow off the dust off of that scale, so that you wouldn't cheat anyone. He's saying here, be honest, have integrity, and let everybody know. Let them know, because it's so rare today that you wouldn't cheat anyone, that you'll go above and beyond the other way. You want to have a successful business? You want people to work with you? Have you ever consulted business? Well, hey, it's great, because they're going to be knocking your door down, because you're honest.

Because there are so few today.

Verse 2. When pride comes, then comes shame, but with the humble is wisdom. Show some humility. It shows wisdom. Haven't you seen those people just fly off, and nobody really wants to put their trust in them, because you want somebody who is more stable. But you've got to watch, because pride comes before fall. This is important. This is an important message. Verse 22. 11-22. As a ring of gold is in a swine or pig snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion. You ever seen a pig with a gold ring or snout? It's just, no matter how good the ring looks on that pig, it doesn't look good. And haven't we all seen women? I ran into one not long ago. She's an attractive woman. She's holding herself, and I'm waiting for her to wait on me to do something at a business. And next thing you know, she's talking to this person, spouting off four-letter words, and it's F this and F that. And I'm like, hmm. So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion. So is a good-looking woman, until sometimes they open their mouth, or how they act. Hold yourself, young ladies, with some beautiful women in the church, both inside and out. Be that woman who has discretion. Verse 25. The generous soul will be rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. That means, don't be a miser. Everything you have, all good gifts, as James says, comes from above. Realize that God gives you the gifts. God gives you the power to get wealth. That's in the Scriptures. Be generous. Help people. Because you cannot out-give God. And what does God own? Everything. Everything. Let's go to chapter 13. Chapter 13, verse 20. He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. Seek out wise people. Spend some time with wise people.

You know, we've all seen people that, as it says, the companion of fools will be destroyed. Why? Because you look like an idiot. Because you look stupid. You look uneducated. You look like somebody you really wouldn't want to do business with. Someone wouldn't want to spend time with. Let's go to the next verse, about 14. 14 and verse 1. The wise woman builds her house. Why? How does she do that? She takes care of it, but she also runs the house. She takes care of the house, whether it's the children, whether it's things that need to be done. She builds her house up. But the foolish pulls it down with their hands. Unwise decisions.

Let's go to the next verse. Proverbs 12 and verse 24. The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor. As I talked about the ant earlier.

Stay busy. Don't waste your time. Learn to enjoy and see the fruits of your labor. Next verse. Chapter 15 verse 22. Without counsel plans, go awry. But in the multitude of counselors, they are established. We need to be able to talk to people. Making decisions. I do. I call people. I call Jeff. I call Stan. I call people in Caribbean. I call whatever, because I'd like to hear them. I respect them. Before I make some decisions, I want to do that. That's what we need to do. I ask my wife many times, what do you think? What do you think we should do? She's a wise woman. So have that multitude of counselors. Don't be afraid you just have to go off and make all the decisions yourself. Next verse. Proverbs 21 verse 17. He who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will not be rich. That means you spend your stuff on stuff that's here today, gone tomorrow. He who loves pleasure.

You keep loving pleasure, you're never going to be able to accumulate, use things. Use the gifts that God gives you. Oh, it's fine to enjoy some pleasure, but it can't be your motivation. I've seen guys that end up 60 years old and they don't have anything.

God doesn't want that. He doesn't want that for you.

Chapter 23. We end the last couple here. Do not overwork to be rich. Guilty. Guilty. When I had my company, man, I would work sometimes 12, 14, 15, 16 hours. And I'd just say, oh, well, I'm doing this and we're accumulating this and we're doing this.

Because of your own understanding, cease! I mean, stop it! Stop it! Have balance. A wise man, a wise woman has balance. Yeah, you should work and you should be the best at your job. You should be the top. You know, people know, wow, she'll work her tail off. I used to work with a couple of banks when I had my company. And the one thing I learned about banks, I knew the presidents, I knew the vice presidents, but I always wanted a woman handling my banking stuff. Because I knew this is two or three women, man, they just made sure they got back with you. They took care of this and they do these things. Why? Because I realized how wise they were and how I wanted them. But don't overwork to be rich. Don't do it just for the bucks. Enjoy your work, but also you have a family. You have a family that you need to be able to spend time with. You have a wife, you have a husband, you have a mate that you need to spend time and enjoy. I remember I read a book about 30 years ago from Lee Iacocca, his autobiography, and when he was the president of Ford, he came in and at night he would come in and there were these young executives working their way up, and they would stay until one or two in the morning. And they'd have their light on and they'd be working on this engineering, and they'd be working on this plan and this plan. And finally, he came back because he had spent all those years. He was in his twilight years even then and said, I think this was Chrysler is where he did this at, he came in and told the company, turn the lights out. At 11 o'clock, turn the lights out. And so some of the guys came to him, some of the young guys, oh, I've got these plans. He says, no, you want to stay here? You want to make a career? They said, yes. He said, then you don't do it that late. You've got a family. Your kids need to see you. Your wife needs to see you. And you need to spend time, and you need to have a life because if not, you're not going to last. And that's the same way with God. You're not going to be able, if you work all the time, when do you have time to study and pray and bring things closer? Let's bring this on into the last couple verses. Proverbs 31, the Proverbs 31 woman, I'm thankful I married one. She also arises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and a portion for her maidservant. She's on the ball. She's not just sitting there. Verse 16.

She considers the field, buys it from her prophet. She plants a vineyard. That means she's not waiting for anything to be done. She's proactive. She gets this stuff done. She sees a way to make something. She's prosperous. That's why it's called the prosperous.

Verse 16. She considers the field, buys it. Verse 26. She opens her mouth with wisdom. Isn't that what you want? I want a wife with wisdom. Is that what you want? Is that what you want your mother to be, your grandmother to be? And if you are, then when you become a grandmother, don't you want the grandkids to come up and go, wow, she is so wise. And on her tongue is the law of kindness. The law of kindness.

We need to make sure that we have that.

So in conclusion, in conclusion, why did I bring the sermon? Yes, it's a little different, but I wanted to appeal to various people, but also to the middle years and to us, making sure that we work with the middle years so that we can hand them off the responsibilities of God's work, God's church, that we have patience. So, brethren, I want to do that so we don't waste, and for all of you that are out there, don't waste these years. And let us not waste one of God's greatest gifts, one of God's greatest resources, the middle years.