Behave Wisely

Psalm 101:2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

If there is any place where we have trouble walking with a perfect heart, it is at home!

At home, we want to take off the mask. At home, we want to let down our hair. At home we want to cut loose a little, and, more often that not, it gets us in trouble! We will say things at home that we would never dream of saying in public. We will do things at home, we hope no one outside of the house ever learns about! It is true isn't it?

We come to church and put on our spiritual face. But as soon as we climb back in the car, if we are not careful, we will take that dude off like we do our Sunday suit coat, and let all the flesh hang out!

David determines to do, in this verse, something we all need to determine to do. We need to determine that even within our house, we are going to walk with a perfect heart!

We get ourselves in a lot of trouble at home because we don't behave wisely there!

It is amazing to me, that we will often treat strangers on the street with more courtesy than we do the people we love the most and love us the most! It is an unwise person who ignores those who are most likely to support him through thick and thin, while giving in to the whims and whimseys of those who would drop him in a heartbeat if he messed up on them!

We have, in our homes, the most important relationships we will know in this life.

A. Behave wisely with your mate 1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

While this verse tells the husband to dwell with his wife according to knowledge, it is obvious that the best relationships will be built when both the husband and the wife knows how to please the other! There is a reason why it specifically says husband though. Because men are the worst offenders in this regard. God made men to be conquerors and women to be helpmeets. Because of that, women naturally look for ways to help their husbands. Men, on the other hand, tend to come home from a days work and expect that, because he brought home a pay check, his wife is happy!

It is true of both the husband and the wife, but it is especially true of the husband, that he needs to learn to dwell with his wife according to knowledge. You need to learn what the other likes and doesn't like. What the other dreams about and would like to do some day. What the other is
good at and what they are weak at. You need to become experts on each other!

B. Behave wisely with your kids. Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

It is possible to mess up raising kids! So we need to behave wisely raising them! We need to learn how not to provoke them to wrath. We need to learn how to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord! We need to behave wisely in raising our kids, and we need to behave wisely when we are around our kids! It is unfortunate that we drop our guards at home and around the kids.

***We say things around them that will forever impact them.
***We cuss around the kids, and we have taught them to cuss.
***We complain about the pastor, or some other church member, and we have taught them to disrespect the church, the preacher and to gossip about people.

There is no one who clings to our words and actions more than our kids. No one who wants to more like us. No one who wants to please us more. And when we behave unwisely around them, we make a mistake that they may never out live!

C. Behave Wisely With Your Things.

Because everything you have really belongs to God. They all need to be used in ways that please the Lord! Here is a guy that gets a boat. WONDERFUL! It is a blessing when God allows you to have something that the family can enjoy together, provide a little rest and family relaxation. But then, you go out and use it when you should have been in church SHAME ON YOU!

Don't you know that God can take those things away from you as easily as He gives them to you? Or worse, he might let you keep up them and keep up the sin you are committing with them! That means you are sowing more and more wicked oats that either you, or your children will have to harvest someday!

D. Behave wisely at home with the Lord. Deut 6:6-9

The home is no place to ignore Christ! Your home ought to be a haven for the Lord! It ought to be a place where only Godly conversations are spoken. Your home ought to be a place where prayers are offered and the Bible is read. Behave yourselves wisely at home