Do You Speak with Pleasant Words?

3/15/09

Proverbs 16:20-24
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he. 21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning. 22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

Mike’s Thoughts:
1. If I’m to be an effective leader, I can’t just find wisdom in the Word, but I have to heed it or implement it into my life.
2. Thru the years I’ve noticed that effective leaders seem to be happier
than others. Here, Soloman tells me that I can be happy by trusting in
the Lord. Personally, I’ve been going thru some tough times lately and
I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised at the peace I have because of
my faith that God is in control of my life.
3. How do I have a wise heart so I can be called prudent? It has to come
from God’s Word. I have noticed that effective leaders are not only
wise thinkers but exhibit wisdom from their hearts, too.
4. If I’m to be an effective leader and I want people to learn from me,
then how I speak to people makes the difference between learning and
indifference. I need to speak in a positive, uplifting manner.
5. To be an effective leader, I need to gain understanding from God’s
Word. Do I want to have a “wellspring of life”? Absolutely!
6. Soloman gives me a very eloquent description of how important
pleasant words are. It is difficult for me to always speak with pleasant
words. I try, but I sometimes fall short of doing so. I pray for the wisdom and discipline to speak with pleasant, uplifting words.

Are the rich wise and friendly?

3/2/09

Selections from Proverbs 14:
1 The wise woman builds her house,…
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, …
3 …the lips of the wise will preserve them.
5 A faithful witness does not lie, …
6 …knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, …
9 …among the upright there is favor.
11 …the tent of the upright will flourish.
14 …a good man will be satisfied from above.
15 …the prudent considers well his steps.
16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, …
18 …the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
20 …the rich has many friends.
21 …he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 …mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit, …
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, …
25 A true witness delivers souls,
26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor, …
29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, …
30 A sound heart is life to the body, …
31 …he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, …
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, …
35 The king’s favor is toward a wise servant, …

Mike’s Thoughts:
There is much wisdom (duh!) in the verses above. I’m afraid that some will
misinterpret the verses about the rich being wise and having many friends.
It my belief that the riches talked about above may not all be material in
nature. However, sometimes it may not take wisdom to acquire riches
(as in acquiring them dishonestly) but it does take wisdom to keep riches.
I believe the rich have many friends because they are not a burden on society and they help many who are in need.