Putting the I into WISDOM
The Christians who have most influenced me for good have had a fully functional familiarity with the book of Proverbs. They were (and are) able to take their considerable knowledge and apply it to their lives, providing both godly examples and godly advice. Join with me as each of us endeavors to put the I into WISDOM. Let us seek to exemplify God’s wisdom in our daily lives. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
As we saw yesterday, if we are wise, we will know that what we say matters. Furthermore, we will increasingly be aware that how we speak matters. Proverbs 15:4 states, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” The word “wholesome” means gentle and healing. This thought is more fully explained in Proverbs 16:21, 23-24. Pleasant words (“sweetness of the lips” – verse 21) move from the “heart” to the “mouth” (verse 23), adding “persuasive power (“learning” – verse 23) to our speech. Verse 24 compares “pleasant words” to a “honeycomb.” The word picture is of honey flowing naturally from a honeycomb; it is not forced out. Similarly, our words should not be masked in an artificial civility. Rather, we should remember that the same imagery of the honeycomb is used of God’s Word in Psalm 19:10: “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” From the heart of God comes pleasant words of salvific power. Words expressed from a heartful desire to help and to heal follow the example of our Savior God and are good for the body (“bones”) and “soul” (verse 24).