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 words impact us both emotionally and physically, we need real wisdom to speak and hear as we should. Furthermore, words affect our attitude. Proverbs 18:8 warns, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” Newer translations suggest that the Hebrew word for “wounds” should be rendered as “choice morsels.” Either way, the meaning is clear: nasty words of gossip sink deep into us and prejudice the way that we think of others. A mere whisper can easily grow to dominate our perception of another person. Clearly, we need to speak no evil and hear no evil when it comes to gossip! We also have to be aware of gossip’s opposite extreme – flattery. Proverbs 29:5 says, “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.” Listening to flattery leads to an inflated view of self; unhealthy egotism is an inherent problem and should not be emboldened by the falsity of flattery. May we recognize that our attitudes are swayed by words, and may we employ God’s wise words to speak and listen in edifying ways.