Proverbs Devotional 3.15.20

I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:

Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you.  It is yours.  I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there.  Speak to me during these moments.  I commit them and myself to you.”

 II. Prayer of Confession:

“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you.  I confess my sin(s) of ______________.  Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)

III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________.  Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”

IV. Scripture Reflection

Read: Proverbs Chapter 15

Reflect:

Proverbs 15:2

2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.

This proverb is based on observation. It’s dealing with the words that come out of two types of people—the wise and the fool. One’s words are something beautiful and appealing, while the other has nothing but foolishness pouring out. The writer is clear about which one is to be valued. It’s as if he’s urging us to “Open your eyes and look, watch what comes out of the wise and the fool—you tell me which one beautiful and worthy of emulating.” 

Look at the fool—remember that he’s a person who lacks good judgment, he’s one who acts shamelessly. If we watch him—observe his behavior—we’ll notice how his words come out of his mouth, how he seems to have no control over them. In fact, this proverb describes the words coming out of his mouth as gushing out! There’s no restraint. It’s as if the words are just belched out. Now don’t read over this too fast, let it soak in. Here’s the definition for belch: to emit gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth. Grab hold of that picture—that’s what it’s like when a fool speaks. He’s so foolish that his foolishness can’t help but bubble out of his mouth like a constant drip from a leaking faucet. Sadly I’m sure you can think of someone like this, and hopefully, it’s not you!

I was recently around a bunch of people that made me think of this proverb. We were part of the crowd that packed downtown KC to watch the Chiefs Super Bowl Championship Parade. We were shoulder to shoulder with people for around four hours! Multiple people around us had no filter on their lips—the profanity would just “belch” out of their mouth! It was perplexing for me to watch them. At first, they would let their mouth go, and then after the profanity flew out, realize that my grandkids were standing there and say, “oh, sorry about that!” However, the longer we waited, the less they cared about what was coming out of their mouth. It was like they couldn’t help but “belch” out what was inside them! 

When we left the parade, Patty reminded me about what my Mom would say about the use of profanity. She’d say, “Jimmy, when you cuss, all you do is show your ignorance because you can’t think of a better word to say.” Her words encapsulate the truth found in this proverb. 

Now I know that the use of curse words only scratches the surface when it comes to the foolishness that can gush out of the fool. Some things can be downright deadly! The point here is that we should watch what comes out of people’s mouths and take note—we can learn a lot from observing.

A keen eye will notice the power of words, so we shouldn’t just let any and everything belch out. The words that come out of us are also revealing—they show the condition of our hearts. The wise person uses their tongue to speak words skillfully. When a wise person’s heart is filled with wisdom, it will spill over in the words they use. I think that’s what the wise making “knowledge appealing” means. Their words are comforting, reassuring—their words can be trusted. You see, the tongue of the wise is something to admire. Like a skilled athlete who excels in their sport, the wise use their word skillfully.

Respond:

We have a choice when it comes to our words—an important decision—will we walk the path of the fool, or will we walk the path of wisdom? Let it be the path of wisdom! Take time and look around today—observe what comes out of people’s mouths. Let it motivate you to walk the right path. “The alternative is unacceptable: the fool is like a fountain polluted and out of control that soaks us with stagnant water when all we needed was a swallow of fresh.” (Hubbard)

V. Prayer for others:

Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others. 

VI. Prayer of commitment:

“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself.  Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.”  (Luke 10:27)

This Week’s Scripture Memory: