Proverbs 10:19


Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues ~ Proverbs 10:19

How do you use your words? This is the thrust of this proverb, for the plain fact is, there are many who babble on just to hear themselves talk and to draw attention to themselves. When our tongue is wagging for the sake of its movement, we sound like fools. And the truth is, most tongue wagging ends up being destructive. Thoughtfulness is not on the agenda of a wagging tongue, just the empty noise is important. Words, then, are mistaken for thoughts. Plato once said, “As empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.” Do not waste the time of your listener with empty words, or thoughtless phrases. We live in a world of social media, and what that fosters is a void of body language when we speak/write our thoughts. Too often, what is displayed on Facebook or other media places are ideas expressed without thought about what is being said, or how the person they are saying it to will feel. Cruel, hurtful words flow out without any guard, and much harm is done. The speaker or writer sins against themselves and against others. Carlyle wrote, “There is a great necessity indeed of getting a little more silent than we are.” If our words do not uplift or encourage, as Carlyle says, keep quiet. Think before you speak/write your words. Show wisdom, not foolishness.
Devotion by Pastor Julia

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:26

Image
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans ~ Romans 8:26 Many days, many times, I have the words for prayer. It comes forth and flows fairly naturally as I converse with my Lord God. I hope in the God I worship to hear me, and to receive my words, as I pray in the name of Jesus and believe in Him, my intercessor. He is my Living Saviour, my High Priest, standing at the right hand of God the Father. But there are times when my pain has been so deep that my words will not come. There are times when my agony is so piercing that what words I may speak would not be enough. And so, in my deep, black moments, I come before my God and let my darkest emotions erupt in sounds that only He can understand. The Holy Spirit within me cries out in my stead, and He becomes my second intercessor. It is not that He is not there with me in all my prayers, but there are times wh...
Read more

Proverbs 18:2

Image
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in sharing their own opinions ~ Proverbs 18:2 If we are going to understand something, we must fully digest it so that when we speak, we speak with wisdom. When we have only half truths in our mind, our words become empty and senseless. We then puff out air rather than understanding when we speak. A wise person will want to improve their mind through learning in various ways from the world around them. A person who delights in spiritual understanding will find peace and enjoyment in reading the Word of God on a daily basis, and in participating with God’s people in a learning and praising environment – the church! We come together in corporate worship with the understanding that not one of us knows all things, but we bend our mind and heart to learn what God has to show and say to us. A foolish person makes a show of what they “know” to please their friends or to save face in front of them. More often a wise person will hold t...
Read more

Isaiah 43:19

Image
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert ~ Isaiah 43:19 When we meet a challenge, we are often found discouraged, lost, even hopeless. Nothing is working, everything seems to be against us. We do not know how to move forward, so we remain curled up in a ball. Then, a glimmer of light shines through! Hope is regained and movement is stirred within. Don’t we become excited when we begin to feel it? God moves like that. We cannot see our way around it, but He can and does. And He makes a way for us out of the calamity of our fears. It is the feeling of springtime after a long winter, or the smell of fresh cut grass. Life stirs within and we move and we see what God saw all the time – the answer to our dilemma. Our desert place becomes an oasis, and we can do what we are called to do. Something totally unexpected happens, something unheard of, but it begins in our life, and we feel the...
Read more