Proverbs 29: 20
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Can there be someone more foolish than a fool? Yes. We can do all the right things, seeming to act with wisdom and character, and then blow it all by saying something totally stupid. We have talked about anger before, two verses later, it goes further:
22 A man of wrath stirs up strife,
and one given to anger causes much transgression.
There is a deeper, bigger issue here: self-control. Often the first sign of a lack of self-control is with our speech. This chapter is full of other ways self-control is evidenced: falling into immorality, showing injustice for personal gain, turning to violence, rebellion against rules - almost every aspect of life, but it often is first seen in being unable to control our speech. As James says, and as Jesus says: there is nothing worse than a mouth that is out of control: too many words, too quickly spoken, with no purifying filter.
Questions: Do people observe me to be reactionary - even out of control? Do I "explode" with my speech, or even physically? How is my lack of self-control hurting others?
No comments:
Post a Comment