Sunday, January 17, 2016

Proverbs: Day 17 - Hold Your Tongue - [Chapter 17]

It's been some time since I read Proverbs from cover to cover.  I must say I'm not really liking it because there is so much to process.  Once we've hit chapter ten, it's a virtual smorgasbord of wisdom sayings that cover a lot of areas of life.  I suppose that's a good thing, but it does make it a challenge to pick one thing and try to process it.   So let's take a look at the few verses that talk about how we talk.  I will refer to the following verses:

17:4 - A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

17:7 - Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool - how much words lying lips to a ruler!

17:27 - The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

17:28 - Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

So often we hear things that we wish we didn't hear... or we say things that we wish we might take back.  These verses advise using a skill that some have a hard time employing - keeping quiet and listening, speaking when necessary and using words that are meant for building people up.  We might think we are speaking from a moral perspective or even from a scriptural one.  But just because it’s “right” - and sometimes it’s not - that doesn’t mean it needs to be said out loud. 


We just need to be more tender in how we speak to one another. 

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