"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses. 13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense. 14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction. 15 A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city;
the poverty of the poor is their destruction. 16 The labor of the righteous leads to life; the activity of the wicked leads to sin. 17 The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray. 18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. 19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is pure silver the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. 22 The Lord’s blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it. 23 As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a man of understanding. 24 What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them. 25 When the whirlwind passes,the wicked are no more,
but the righteous are secure forever. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand. 27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. 28 The hope of the righteous is joy but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing. 29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits the malicious. 30 The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not remain on the earth.
but the righteous are secure forever. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand. 27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. 28 The hope of the righteous is joy but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing. 29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits the malicious. 30 The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not remain on the earth.
31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.
Speech is one of the most distinguishing gifts of mankind. The faculty of speech offers immense influence either for good or evil. It is the principle channel by which we will affect people and the world. It is by speech that we communicate our thoughts to each other, carry on business, and improve our knowledge and learning.
Good Morning Beloved,
I am so thankful for each of you and I pray that you will be blessed by the Word
God has for us today.
Heavenly Father,
As we look at the world around us, the disruption, the prejudice and hatred for one another, we are so grieved. We can only imagine, how different it must have been in the days of our founding fathers who wanted to make sure that everyone knew there was a God, that God had given us His law and His law alone could govern man. And here we are, some 200 years later and the whole nation is plunging into an abyss of darkness with minds that are corrupt and nearly useless, trying to solve massive, far-reaching problems of iniquity without a moral standard, driven by the curse of their own immorality, and unrestrained sin. O' Lord, we see Your wrath and we so plead with You that You would be gracious to Your people and that You would touch their hearts to receive Your saving truth, that You would save our leaders of government, who are as corrupt as though they're suppose to govern. Father, pray that You would save them from their sins, bringing them all to the foot of the cross, that they would bow their knee to Jesus Christ, and that the Word of God could again become the authority in this once great land as it reflects Your Word. Lord, forgive us for the harm we've caused by our words. Set a watch upon our lips and control our tongues. Help us evaluate each thought and guard each word spoken. May we use our words to encourage, to elevate, and to boldly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ
In His precious name we pray
Amen
"Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Proverbs 18:21
We have the glorious privilege to choose our words. This privilege is one of the main reasons we are to gain wisdom. The righteous speak wise words. Thus they are fitting or appropriate; give life to people and situations.
Today's Message:The Power of Words
We are going to bypass the proceeding verses in Chapter 10, and for illustration purposes of today's message, we'll go directly to our text that deal with speech. These verses, if applied, are very helpful to us, as believers, that we may see and understand by contrasting right behaviors with wrong behaviors, and the right use of speech , in contrast with the wrong use of speech.These verses are fitting and appropriate and give life to people and situations. It's not the duration of your life that counts. It's the devotion of your life, how intense you are in serving the Lord and giving yourself to Him that matters.
The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction.
Proverbs 10:14
Verse 11 helps us understand interpersonal relations and distinguish between people better. "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence."The righteous speak wise words. The words of a righteous, and wise person are like a fountain of life.
His good, pure, vigorous words of wisdom are as refreshing as a cool spring to a weary desert traveler. The words of the righteous are a source of life-giving spiritual vitality. Words of truth and love are the means by which God refreshes and pour life into the souls of people.
There is no true peace in the words of those full of strife. Violence overwhelms their mouth. Since the word for "overwhelms" can be translated "covers," as it is in verse 12, the idea is either that his mouth conceals or deceptively hides violence, or that violence characterizes what a person says. Jesus stated, "A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart." Luke 6:45.
What is it that motivates you, anger? Or truth? Hatred or love, folly or wisdom?
The strong contrast is made again in verse 12. "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions."
Hatred results in dissension, Proverbs 6:14, "He always plots evil with perversity in his heart—
he stirs up trouble, because people who despise each other can hardly work or live together in peace. The stirring or raising up of dissensions suggests the gossip, Proverbs 6:19, who is hated by Yahweh, Proverbs 6:16-19. If you hate someone you look for excuses to bad mouth him or start in on him. This rapscallion spirit is at work everywhere, in homes, offices, politics and even churches. It is like a surreptitious fire that smolders out disgusts, dislike, envying, coldness and selfishness.
Love contributes toward peace because it covers or forgives the faults of others, Proverbs 17:9. It does not dwell on those faults, I Corinthians 13:5; James 5:20; I Peter 4:8. The Hebrew word translated "cover" is kacah, which means "to overwhelm," Proverbs 10:6, 11. A wicked one's words are covered over with violence, but a righteous person covers up wrongs by forgiving the wrongdoers.
When we see shortcomings in others, the solution is to overwhelm them with love. For we who have been forgiven so much must forgive others, Colossians 3:18. A promoter of strife magnifies the faults of other, and we all have them. If you love someone, you give them the benefit of the doubt. If you hate someone, you don't. Love covers a multitude of sins, Proverbs 17:9; I Corinthians 13:4–7; James 5:20; I Peter 4:8.
The message of Jesus is simple yet astounding: Love your enemies. Do good to those who mistreat you. Repay evil with kindness. When Christians live by these principles, he will keep his heart free of hatred no matter, how others feel toward him.
These statements contrast the wise and the fool. Wisdom is on the lips of the one who understands, but a chastisement comes to the rebellious. In verse 13, "On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding." While the discerning person is characterized by his wise statements, one lacking judgment experiences trouble. He may be punished by a rod on the back.
Because the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart, as we see in Matthew 12:34, which teaches us, "Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart." So it is not surprising that the wise man speaks wisely. On the other hand, the foolish man unknowingly makes himself a target for the rod of correction. Look no further than Solomon's son King Rehoboam to find one whose back needed the rod of correction because of his lack of wisdom. Learn to seek wisdom from the lips of the wise, for the lack of a willingness to seek wisdom will eventually result in punishment.
This is the amazing power of Christ! When we are wronged, will will then begins turning to hatred in our hearts, We, therefore, need to ask God to change our hearts and enable us to show kindness to the one who has committed the wrong against us. Beloved, this is the way to turn hatred into love.
I Peter 2:20, "For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God."
Then in verse 14 the righteous man is contrasted with the wicked, or foolish man and the picture is that of knowledge and instruction versus destruction and error. Solomon couldn't have made the contrast more clear. "Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand."A wise person is diligent to store up knowledge. He treasures it by letting it teach him without spouting it off inappropriately. What a fool says, however, causes him trouble and eventually ruin because he foolishly speaks the wrong things and gets himself in trouble
The Hebrew word translated "righteousness" has a much wider meaning than its English equivalent, which generally bears the sense only of deciding fairly, being especially applied to judges. But a "righteous" man in Hebrew is one who “renders to all their due,” whether to God, as Noah, who was "just and perfect" before Him or to man. To his fellow-men his "justice" will show itself in liberality, mercy, carefulness of speech , truthfulness, and wisdom.
"And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath ready for destruction?"Romans 9:22
Then verse 18, teaches us to beware of liars and slanders. "He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads slander is a fool. "The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool." Wicked people hide their wickedness and hatred with lies. God hates reprobate slanderers for their debauched reputations. They are scoundrels and villains which have hidden hatred in their hearts and deceit in their mouths.
Some people have become extremely creative, they have turned slander into a skilled art form. They would never use a meat cleaver to cut down another person. They are more shrew than that. They have learned to slander with a gesture, a wink, an evil or sarcastic smile, or prevarication.
The writers of the Proverbs described people, in the ancient world who frequently used their body language to destroy others. They winked, gestured, motioned, or gave a shrug to work their devious ways of slander, and they felt a sense of safety in those form of attacks. After all, it is difficult to refute a gesture or to prove ones being evil from a wink. Their actions were quite subtle, but commonly known and considered to be as deadly as bullets piercing the heart.
Beloved, we all need God to guard our speech from time to time. Is it possible, that you need to ask the God of love and truth to help you guard your speech and gestures today? Then for His sake, for your own sake, and for the sake of all others, do it! Far better to seek His help, that to suffer the consequences of our actions!
Be careful with your tongue it's in a wet place and can easily slip. Lord, purge our hearts from these hidden hateful corruptions!
So, verse 19, trumpets out the wisdom of restraint and silence. "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
Many have spoken volumes of words, but their words were void of God's wisdom.
We love to hear ourselves talk and present our own understandings. Unfortunately, the more we speak, the more vulnerable we are to sin, and the more likely it is we'll say something we wish we hadn't said. Therefore, I believe it would do each of us well to listen more and speak less.
"The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding.
Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips."
In James 1:19-20, James said, " My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness." The truth is, the more you say, the more opportunities you have to say the wrong thing! And it seems to part of our sinful nature, to believe we "have the right," to just spew out anything we feel like, regardless of whom it hurts, and without personal accountability. I know, that in my experiences, there are a few times when, after a conversation I may have regretted not saying something that I wanted to say. However, there are far more times, that I later wished I hadn't said anything at all. We would almost always be better off if we said less, rather than more. For it is not safe for a man or woman to open their lips and pour out words with out careful selection and restraint.
There's an old saying, "Think before you speak," I must confess, I do not observe much of that taking place in our society today. And it certainly makes good common sense, for the good of all people, to activate our brains before we engage our mouths. If we would kindly observe that concept, we would likely all spare ourselves many embarrassing situations. But far too often, we speak before we think. And often times, we speak, and fail to even think at all. Except perhaps, how to "hit that nerve," or "go for the jugular vein." As a result we monopolize conversations, we babble on and on endlessly, especially, when we have very little or nothing worthwhile to say.
Lest I remind you, that we are image-bearers of God, we possess the unique ability to think and to use words. The gift of speech, has been given to us to encourage and to bless others. So let's be sure to think before we speak. Make sure your mind is running' before you put your mouth in gear.
At fairs and amusement theme parks, the bumper car ride is always quite popular. People seem to enjoy driving recklessly for a few minutes, bumping deliberately but harmlessly slamming their car into other people's cars. However, many people today, have a "bumper-car mentality," in all of their relationships with others. Using blunt words, they deliberately slam into others' feelings, which is anything but harmless.
Solomon wrote, "He who restrains his lips is wise" Proverbs 10:19. But James said, "but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison", James 3:8. He said that with the tongue we bless our God who created us, but we also curse those whom He has created, in verse 9. Lest we think that Christians do the blessing and non-Christians do the cursing, we really need to be mindful of the fact, that James was writing to Christians.
Without God's help, we do not have the natural ability to take the tongue captive.
In Romans 6:13, the apostle Paul wrote, that we need to make a choice-to present the parts of our body "And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness." To bridle your tongue, give God the reins of your heart. The tongue I would guess is responsible for more harm than any other member of the body. That's why its crucial, that we learn to carefully choose our words before we speak them.
The speech of a righteous man is valuable. In Proverbs 10:20, it says, "The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value." Choice silver is bright, pure, and non-corrosive, in fact, it was once used for surgical knives. Words from a just person prove valuable, his words have value because he has reflected on the ways and Word of our Creator.
However, the words of the wicked man, are worth little because they pour out from a corrupted heart, that refuses to yield to Jesus and be transformed. A lot of the advice we receive is far less than worthless. It's easy to get opinions from people who will tell us exactly what our flesh wants to hear. A dump truck full of such advise is worthless and keeps us from seeking people who speak truth. We must be cautious whom we seek advice from, Ecclesiastes 10:2 says, "A wise man's heart goes to the right, but a fool's heart to the left."
In Proverbs 10, verse 21, we learn that the speech of a just man is nourishing but the conversation of fools deadens. "The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense." Having found righteousness from feeding on the Lord's words, they can now feed others. Having been Christ's disciples, they were seated at the feet of our Lord , and can now break the Bread of Life given to them and share it with others. If it is His blessed bread, it will surely feed and satisfy a multitude of people.
Oh how the righteous can nourish and invigorate others through the spoken words of truth and love!
Fools however, have chosen to feed on the wares of the world. Their lack of wisdom and understanding is demonstrated in their disregard for truth and refusal to sit at the feet of Jesus.
We've been blessed with words of wisdom from the text, in Proverbs 10:31-32, which says, "The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse."
The righteous, brings forth wisdom, meaning they know how
to communicate that which is truly good and suitable for the intended
end. They can extricate difficult complications and discern the right path in which to proceed.
In Closing....
Beloved, here are some useful guidelines to assist us, in measuring our words:
Don't be hasty, think about what's necessary. We're taught never to turn a power tool on unless we know exactly what it is going to do when the blade starts turning. Consider the effect of what you're about to say.
Don't exaggerate. Don't use words like "always" and "never". This one, if adhered to, will save you some unnecessary grief with your spouse, if you don't say, "You always do this" or "You never do that!" Check your volume. Screaming, yelling and raising our voice, in order to make our point may indeed make us feel better in the short term, however, in the long-run, it will give you more to be sorry for later. Not to mention can cause damage that, could impact the life of another, in ways they may not get over. Its imperative that we continuously ask ourselves: "Do my words speak grace,compassion and give life and lifting others up, or do they tear others down?
The only effective way to change ones speech, is to first change ones heart.
The only way one can have a true change of heart, is through Christ.
Do you have a personal relationship with Christ?
Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior?
If you haven't, won't you consider it today?
Just pray this prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust you and follow You as my Lord and Savior.
In Your name, Amen
If you have decided to accept Jesus Christ today, please contact us and let us know.
That we may rejoice with you and pray for you as you begin your journey of faith.
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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