Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 13:1-5
Prov 13:1-5
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 5 The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
James 1:26
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
Be careful what you say because it might come back to you. Gossip is wrong. Any attempt to tear others down is a misuse of the tongue. We are told to only say those things that give grace and are good for the moment and that which builds others up. We are to talk about others the way we would like to be talked about. We have all heard that if we can’t say something good about someone, to say nothing at all. This is always good advice. Love seeks and sees the good in others.
James says that too often, out of the same mouth comes both blessings and cursing, and this ought not to be. It is sheer hypocrisy for one to claim to be a follower of Jesus and to run others down or to curse them. It is blasphemy for the child of God to use his holy name in vain or to toss it about flippantly. If we never entertain malice in our hearts, we will not speak maliciously about others.
“A scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” None of us likes to be told we are wrong or that we need to correct something in our lives. Our pride gets in our way and our defenses instinctively rise up in us, but we must be willing to humble ourselves and admit that we can be wrong, and then listen to the rebuke with an open mind. If we are wrong and we correct it, we have bettered ourselves.
When we refuse to listen or deny the obvious, we are like the scoffer. Jesus told the Pharisees that would not admit they were wrong that they were still in their sins because they refused to see and admit them. In their self-righteousness they saw anyone who disagreed with them as being wrong and beneath them.
O Lord God, give me wisdom to listen. Not to just hear the words of others, but to listen to understand. Even when it means that to accept what is being said will prove that I am wrong, help me humble myself and listen. I want to grow, both spiritually and in knowledge, which means that I must admit when I am wrong and change my mind. Forgive me when I fail to do this and open my mind to what is right. I ask your healing on those who are sick and taking treatments. Be with those who have lost loved ones and give them peace. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Robert
