Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 25:11-14
Prov 25:11-14
11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. 12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. 13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. 14 Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.
Col 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Be careful what you say, how you say it, when you say it, and to whom you say it. Words can be beautiful, or they can be ugly and destructive. Jesus said that our words come from what is in our hearts, so we must keep our hearts pure. James tells us that it is inconsistent for us to claim to serve Jesus and to use our speech to curse or use our tongues for evil purposes. Our speech is to be gracious.
One of the reasons that people say things that they should not say is because they do not think before they speak. Just because we may think of something does not make it right for us to say it. We need to get our mind in gear before we put our mouth in motion. There are times when we need to reprove someone or we need to correct them, but when we do it in the right way, it is like a gold ring on the finger. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”
One of the best ways to not say things that should not be said is to be quiet and listen. It is always interesting to me how many times it says that Jesus was silent or that he did not say anything, especially when it was a situation where I would have probably had a lot to say. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. We (most people that I know – including myself) need to learn to listen more, listen better, think about it more carefully, and then decide if we need to speak.
Regardless of where you stand politically, this applies. There has never been a time when Christians needed to be careful about what we say and how we say it, and when we need to just be quiet and listen than during this election season. If you must talk about it, talk to God because he is the only one who can actually do anything about it. If you must express your opinion, do it kindly and in love.
O Lord God, give me wisdom to know when to speak and what to say. Give me self-control to keep my mouth shut when I need to be quiet. Guide our elections and give your people wisdom to show your love, even when they don’t agree. We know that this world is temporary, and we are made for your eternal home, so help us keep our eyes on Jesus, not this world. In his name I pray.
Robert
