Holding my tongue

"A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence." - Proverbs 11:13

Living in 2020 it is quite hard to keep things in confidence. Just one slip of the tongue or keyboard and rumours can spread very quickly. Although people in Solomon's day didn't have to be concerned about their social media presence, they were still impacted by gossips and people who loved to spread fake news. 

As Christ-followers we are just as tempted to speak out of turn, but it is wise of us to prove trustworthy and not to be rash with our words. Jesus gives us the best example of this when he remains silent, even in the face of his accusers.

Proverbs 26:20 - "Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down."

 

“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” - Socrates  

 

“Isn't it kind of silly to think that tearing someone else down builds you up?” ― Sean Covey 

 

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Duplicity

"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." - Proverbs 11:3

I believe that one our greatest struggles is be our true selves around other people. There are too many occasions where we live in duplicity - we have one personality (mask) for work, or church, or certain people and then we have another personality when we are with family or even by ourselves. 

We need to remember that God knows us at our worst and yet He still invites us to be part of his Kingdom. We can't fool the Lord - he knows all our pretenses and all the masks that we wear. Coming to Christ with all our honest struggles and brokenness is the only way to approach the throne of God's grace. 

"We are only falsehood, duplicity, contradiction; we both conceal and disguise ourselves from ourselves." - Blaise Pascal

“The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.” - Leo Buscaglia

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Collection of Wise Words

As we move deeper into the book of Proverbs we find a larger number of sayings for everyday life. I find it fascinating that although we are living in 2020, many of these pearls of wisdom still apply to our context. That is very impressive for being nearly 3000 years old.

Here is a collection of a few of these from chapter 10.

"Good people are remembered long after they are gone,
    but the wicked are soon forgotten.
If you have good sense, you will listen and obey;
    if all you do is talk, you will destroy yourself." - v.7-8

"Deceit causes trouble, and foolish talk
    will bring you to ruin." - v.10

" Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs
    that others do." - v.12

"Honest people speak sensibly, but deceitful liars    will be silenced." - v.31

May these words offer you some wisdom in your own life today.

"Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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What will be left after the storm

We know that storms can be devastating. Some storms come and go, leaving us a little wet, but not to broken and trouble. Others leave a massive amount of debris and little hope of picking up the pieces. The question I have for us today is this:

"What will we be left with when the current crisis of Coronavirus ends?"

Proverbs 10:25 offers us some powerful imagery today and points us in the right direction. Solomon writes: "Disaster strikes like a cyclone, whirling the wicked away, but the godly have a lasting foundation."

Is Christ still your foundation during this time of testing and trial? Remember that your foundation (Jesus) can never be moved, so rest your life on him.

Zig Ziglar - The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.

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Making a decision

John Maxwell once said: "Life is a matter of choices - and every choice you make makes you."

What do you do when you are invited to 2 parties on the same day? Tough call to decide which is going to be the best to attend? In the case of Solomon the Hosts are key in his decision-making process. When he understands what the Host has in store for him, that is what defines his choice.

Wisdom invites him a feast, but so does 'Folly.' They both make their parties sound amazing, but in the end, Solomon knows that one of them is going to be very bad for him - it is actually lead him to experience hell on earth, while Wisdom's celebration will bring him LIFE. 

The foolish woman is loud;
    she is ignorant and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house,
    on a seat at the high places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by,
    who are going straight on their way,
16 “You who are simple, turn in here!”
    And to those without sense she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
    and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But they do not know that the dead are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol." - Proverbs 9:13-18

Making tough choices can be a stressful exercise, but thankfully God gives us lots of direction.

"But until a person can say deeply and honestly, "I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday," that person cannot say, "I choose otherwise.” - Stephen R. Covey

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Wasting wisdom

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill

Have you ever offered someone advice and they have completely ignored your suggestions? Or have you ever had a person mock your advice? Well, chances are that even if this hasn't happened to your face, that it has happened behind your back. And the feeling I get, when this happens, is "why did I even bother? Why did I waste my advice on someone who was too stubborn to listen?"

Clearly, Solomon felt the same at some point in time, because he wrote these words:

"Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.
But correct the wise, and they will love you.
Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.
If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer." - Proverbs 9:7-12

I sometimes get the feeling that all the 'advice' we have been getting on Covid-19 is almost overwhelming and some people are choosing to ignore very good advice. I understand that information overload is a very real danger, but we need to discern which advice is best for us and our families. 

“Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.” Dean Jackson

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The invite to the Party

How do you feel when you get invited to an event or perhaps to a friends party? It feels good doesn't? It makes me feel like I am wanted at the function, or that I have been thought of. Sadly, the opposite is also true - if we don't get invited to a celebration then we would naturally feel offended or disappointed in some way.

When Solomon speaks about Wisdom in Proverbs 9 I get the idea of being invited to a special feast. And it is not just me who is invited - you are too! In fact, anyone who may feel that they are on the "B list" is given an opportunity to attend.

You see, Wisdom is not meant to be something that only the rich, or intellectual, or religious people can acquire. God invites all of us to share in His great wisdom and insight. God doesn't invite us to follow his commands and then leave us to fend for ourselves. He offers us instruction, guidance and grace along the way.

Wisdom has built her house;
    she has carved its seven columns.
2 She has prepared a great banquet,
    mixed the wines, and set the table.
3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.
    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.
4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,
5 “Come, eat my food,
    and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
    learn to use good judgment.”

In the New Testament, Jesus also invites people to a banquet. And it is also an open invitation to all who are willing to humble themselves and to say 'Yes please.'

12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” - Luke 14:12-14

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