Proverbs 16:1-18:24 – Commit Your Work to the Lord

Proverbs are great little nuggets of wisdom.  Some are so profound while others are very simple reminders of how to best behave.  An area that the Proverbs often speak pertains to the tongue.  Something I think many of us fall into, oftentimes unintentionally, is misusing our words.  Sometimes we say things to others without thinking and end up hurting someone’s feelings.  Other times we find ourselves sharing someone else’s news or sharing what someone else has said to us with others.  In our “sharing” we are actually gossiping.  In updating our friends and family about other friends and family, we are gossiping.  In telling (or complaining to) a third party how we feel about someone who is not there, is actually gossiping.

I love 18:6, “A fools’ lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.”  What we say has consequences.  Speaking negatively about someone who isn’t there encourages others to change their opinion about that person…or it may alter their opinion about you!

We all need to do a better job of checking ourselves when we speak.  If we are telling a story that includes others not present, either we need to tell the story about “a friend” and not include their identity or maybe we shouldn’t be telling the story at all!

Just like James tells us – we need to be quick to listen and slow to speak (1:19).

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy