Proverbs 10 (NLT)
(a variety of verses about words)
11 The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain;
the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
13 Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding,
but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod.
14 Wise people treasure knowledge,
but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.
19 Too much talk leads to sin.
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
20 The words of the godly are like sterling silver;
the heart of a fool is worthless.
21 The words of the godly encourage many,
but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.
31 The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice,
but the tongue that deceives will be cut off.
32 The lips of the godly speak helpful words,
but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.
Chapter 10 in Proverbs is full of short sayings comparing the godly person to the not so wonderful person. Today, we’re going to look at verses that talk about what we say. I’m not going to focus on the foolish people since it’s obvious that Solomon thinks they only do harm. Instead, I want to focus on how important it is to be careful about what we say since our words can have such an impact on others.
So I’m going to repost the verses with only the positive things included:
“The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain;
Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding,
Wise people treasure knowledge,
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
The words of the godly are like sterling silver;
The words of the godly encourage many,
The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice
The lips of the godly speak helpful words”
I couldn’t say it better, so I won’t. Read those words over several times, and think about how you live up to those standards. When people think about me/you, do they think that our words are encouraging, wise, helpful and valuable? Do we know when to keep quiet?
Some good advice to think about today.
Our song for today is Words by Hawk Nelson.