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.)
Because our words are potentially powerful, we are easily tempted to speak too readily (and perhaps too loudly). I remember a teacher who used to say, “Better to be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” Today, that fine educator would probably be fired, but he was right. Proverbs 17:28 states, “Even a fool [one who is spiritually insensitive], when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” Proverbs 10:8 reminds us, “The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.” We cannot be growing in knowledge and wisdom if we are babbling like base politicians, busybody propagandists, or bad poets. Proverbs 10:14 confirms, “Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.” We should seek to “lay up knowledge” to avoid our own “destruction.” Instead, we can exercise discretion and decrease our chances of saying unwise words that can be used against us to malign our character and our testimony for Christ. Proverbs 13:3 warns, “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” It is clearly beneficial to be ready to limit the volume of our words – volume both in number and in loudness.