Daily Devotional: Proverbs 11:7-13
Robert Fudge
06/20/24- Devotionals
Prov 11:7-13
When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
James 5:19-20
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
As a preacher I often preach to myself and to my own needs. A lot of what I say about how one should act or think is not because I have it all figured out or that I do it correctly all the time. It is because I need to be reminded or because I know that I struggle with the thing about which I am speaking. Preachers are people, and while some are shielded from the real world, we still face trials daily.
Slander is wrong. Gossip is a sin. Backbiting and tearing others down is ungodly and a misuse of the tongue. In the first place, all of these require judging on the part of the one doing it, and we all know that we are not to judge others. Also, when we do this, we are exhibiting an attitude of self-righteousness. We are looking down on others and this is the contempt that Paul condemns in his writing to the Romans (chapter 14). We must let God do the judging; it is not our job.
Paul told the Ephesians that we are to make sure our speech is used to build others up and not tear them down. Gossip will cause bitterness as we focus on the sins, the mistakes, and the weaknesses of others. Praising others will cause us to focus on their good points, on their accomplishments, on the positive. When we replace gossip with praise and thanksgiving, we become happier people.
O Lord, give me wisdom in all I say to others and about others. Help me be more positive and focus on the good things instead of what they are doing wrong. Help me wait until I get everything right in my life (I know that won’t happen) before I begin to try to fix others. Forgive me for any misuse of my tongue and help me guard my speech in the future, beginning today. Thank you for revealing your wisdom to us, telling us how to live. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
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