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.)
The extent to which our words sink in and spread out should cause us to pause before we speak. Proverbs 16:29-30 says, “A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.” Two aspects of this passage capture my attention. First, there are many ways to manifest violence. For example, angry politicians or paid activists calling for attacks on police are as culpable as those who carry out the assaults; both the speaker and the doer are violent people. Second communication is strengthened by body language. Here, the visual cues are negative, including fishy winking and snide sneering (verse 30). Our method of delivery should be consistent with the content of our words. Screaming “I love you” with a malicious fleer is not convincing. Rather, “let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).