Do Not Gossip

Proverbs 25:8-10 KJV; Gossip will only ruin your own reputation!

The Mouth Of A Fool Invites Ruin

Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.

If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.

The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.

A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.

                                                         (Prov 29:8-12 KJV)

Rulers (as well as the media) who buy into and promulgate lies destroy communities. They can destroy entire countries. They care not for the people that they destroy. Leaders who keep moving on their chosen path of destruction in attempts to show that they are the leader and can do what they what because they are in charge are risking the very people that they have been called to defend.

No one know for sure how many people died yesterday in the bombings at Kabul.  The media kept reporting twelve or thirteen. I did not see any report nor did I hear any of the national media ask (other than the Wall Street Journal) ask how many of the allies  and their families that assisted our military over the last twenty years were killed. This morning I am finally seeing the reports of over ninety civilians. But, no one seems to have asked yet if there were any Americans among those civilians. Maybe someone asked and I just didn't hear that one instance. For all of the news releases we're hearing; we're not hearing much new. They are not being as transparent as they promised they would be. 

We are hearing that the Taliban is working with us. They will keep Americans and our allies safe until August 31st. I suspect our leaders think we should actually believe this and trust that this will happen. Do you? Are you willing to trust a terrorist organization that just overthrew a government?

It is not always just the words that we need to listen to. As a country we need to learn to watch their body language as they speak; how they respond to stress; and what they actually do.  Their words may convey an amount of compassion for others but their movements; their actions, do not.

May God protect the people who are subject to rulers who rule only for their own interests. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Who Will You Listen To?

And now, my child, listen to me,
   and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Keep your way far from her,
   and do not go near the door of her house;
or you will give your honor to others,
   and your years to the merciless,
and strangers will take their fill of your wealth,

   and your labors will go to the house of an alien;

and at the end of your life you will groan,

   when your flesh and body are consumed,
and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,

   and my heart despised reproof!

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

   or incline my ear to my instructors.
Now I am at the point of utter ruin

   in the public assembly.

                            (Prov 5:7-15 NRSV)

Taking the advice from others; learning from their pasts, takes a pretty strong person. Our nature tends to make us want to do things our way. We'd rather not listen to teachers, or parents, or anyone that God has put in authority over us. We'd rather do what pleases us than what pleases God.

But, we are reminded in the book of Proverbs not to be following in the ways of those who do not follow the way of the Lord. Do not be following the advice who will lead you away from the Lord to a point of utter ruin. Do not follow those who will lead you away from "The Way." Rather, follow those who God has appointed to teach you. 

Do not listen to those who would lead you away from God. They do so in order to justify their own selfish existence. They do so for their own benefit. Incline your ear to those who would show you "The Way" in which to go. 

Be careful who you listen to! Be careful who you follow!

God's Peace - Pr. J 

 

Be Kind!

A kindhearted woman gains honor,

   but ruthless men gain only wealth.
Those who are kind benefit themselves,
   but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
   but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
Truly the righteous attain life,
   but whoever pursues evil finds death. 

                                        Prov 11:16-19

Be nice! That seems to be the gist of Proverbs 11. Being "nice;" being honest, being fair, being kind, is not only a blessing to those you are being nice to; but, in the end you also will feel blessed. "Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves."

There is good advise for daily living in these verses from Proverbs. We are warned about the negative consequences of doing what is not right and reminded of the positive consequences of doing what is right; of being kind.

Worship the LORD your God and follow in the path that He has set before you, doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong to your benefit and for the benefit of the people around you.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

A Fool's Lips

Proverbs 26:5 -6; 11-19 NIV

Answer a fool according to his folly,
    or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Sending a message by the hands of a fool
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
 As a dog returns to its vomit,
    so fools repeat their folly.
Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?
    There is more hope for a fool than for them.

A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road,
    a fierce lion roaming the streets!”
As a door turns on its hinges,
    so a sluggard turns on his bed.
A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven people who answer discreetly.

Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears
    is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.

Like a maniac shooting
    flaming arrows of death
is one who deceives their neighbor
    and says, “I was only joking!”

Just totally disturbing to read the nasty comments about the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas. It is unbelievable to me that anyone could have such a lack of empathy! Yet, those comments are out there. Thankfully there are not too many of them; but, enough to realize how foolishly hateful some people are in this world.

Proverbs 26 warns us of the downfalls of being a fool, not just a fool, but a lazy fool with deceitful lips. It also warns us to be careful when it comes to trusting a person who is foolhardy. He or she should not be honored for their ways. They should not be lifted up. It would be foolish for us to enable them to continue in their ways.

What then should we do with the one who acts foolishly? "Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes." (Prov 26:5 NIV) Speak the truth, not rashly or harshly. But, with love; correct them, guide them, teach them the way in which they should go. Teach them to honor and respect others so that others may live pleasant and peaceful lives and not on edge when they are around. Teach them that it is better for everyone to live in peace than to be constantly starting quarrels. It is better to live in peace than to continue instigating division.

There are very few things that bother me more than to hear someone lying to or insulting another person and then when the person responds in a hurt manner, the first person will say "JK," just kidding.  Jokes that hurt other people are not funny. They are not jokes! "Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”  (Prov 26:18-19)

The wise person will respect others for who they are. They will be kind, not acting out of anger or revenge. But, they will also speak the truth to the one who is acting in a foolish, hurtful manner. They are unable to empathize with anyone other than those who agree with their foolhardiness. Freedom does not give us the right to hurt others. Freedom is given so that we can all live in peace, reconciled to one another. The foolish one does not comprehend this living in peace. They much prefer to cause divisiveness by feeding their foolish egos.

May God be with all the victims and families of the horrible massacre in Las Vegas. May God help us all to learn to empathize with and love one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fake And Biased News

Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
    and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals
    violence.

Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.

Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
    but a rod is for the back of one who has no

    sense.

The wise store up knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

                                           (Prov 10:10-14 NIV)

I am back in Proverbs this morning after reading the morning news. There was a lot of that senseless chattering going on. Some of it is fake; but, mostly it is a biased promoting of political agendas rather than the actual reporting of the news. Rather than reveal the real news that is happening around the country and the world; news that might motivate people to step up and help others rather than harm; the news reveals a hatred for those who do not agree with the newscasters' or the stations' opinions and/or political stances. There appears to be very little love and even less wisdom. Their mouths are invitations to division and the ruination of a free world through hatred, slander and more violence.

May God help us to understand that the hatred and anger that is being broadcast daily will bring us to our end. May He teach us to love one another as He loves us all so that we might live in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
    but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

The name of the righteous is used in blessings,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.

The wise in heart accept commands,
    but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

                                                       (Prov 10:6-9 NIV)

Words of wisdom often fall on deaf ears. We can share these words all we want; but, there are those who would rather chatter about their own self-righteousness albeit mostly exaggerations and sometimes out right falsehoods. Although, not everyone appreciates it, it is in my nature to confront those who chatter on tripping over their own stories. Their stories are easily found out because they cannot keep their stories straight. They make known the crooked path that they are on by the unending chatter. They make it known and they end up falling. Their names become detested rather than a blessing and honor.

I confront often; but, confrontation alone helps very little. In addition to and probably even more important than confrontation with those who refuse to walk in integrity is to turn them over to God in prayer. Sometimes, some things; some people, we just have to let go of and let God deal directly with them.

May God help us all to walk in integrity, in the knowledge of the truth, who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J