Speaking & listening

It is easy to be unjust when talking about someone else. You need to have deep understanding and wisdom before making any conclusion about others and even then, very often, it is not wise to talk about them. If you tend to talk easily about others, stop it, restrain yourself. The same goes to listening to people talking bad about others. You don’t need to contaminate your mind with non constructive thinking. Don't make excuses for it. Purify your mind, purify your speech. Don’t let bad thinking darken your day. Let God’s word dominate your thoughts. Make the decision to talk or listen only to those things that will be constructive and will contribute to the good of others.

It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,

   or come down hard on the innocent.

6 The words of a fool start fights;

   do him a favor and gag him.

7 Fools are undone by their big mouths;

   their souls are crushed by their words.

8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

   do you really want junk like that in your belly?

(Prov.18:5-8 MSG)

Prayer: Make me aware of my words and of what I am listening. Help me to stop in time before making any conclusions about others. Help me not to contribute in ruining other people’s reputation. Purify my mind. Help me to be constructive and encouraging to others. I want to contribute to other people's growth.

Don’t be a fool

Don’t be a loner, start to reach out and collaborate for the common good. Think, think, search for wisdom and value good thinking, it is like a muscle that you have to train. Don’t let evil thoughts stay in your mind, it will bear fruits you will not like afterward. Don’t let contempt for life invade your thinking. Let God’s wisdom flow through your mind and overflow all areas of your life.

Loners who care only for themselves

   spit on the common good.

2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;

   all they do is run off at the mouth.

3 When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;

   contempt for life is contemptible.

4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood,

   but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.

(Prov.18:1-4 MSG)

Prayer: I need Your help oh God. Don’t let me be a foolish. Let me value and look for wisdom. Protect my mind from foolish thinking. Flow through my thoughts, invade my whole life with Your words, Your wisdom, Your peace and Your joy. Let me be constantly connected to Your river of wisdom.

Wisdom and justice

The wise find wisdom everywhere. The fool think that he has to make big efforts to achieve it. If you show contempt for justice, you will learn nothing but wrong things in life. You cannot be a wise thief, or a wise criminal, or a wise cheater. There is nothing wise of being a thief, or criminal or cheater.

Being wise doesn’t result of studying, traveling, or knowing people. It is your attitude toward God that has to change. When you respect God and His justice, every new experience will teach you something and you will grow in wisdom.

The wicked take bribes under the table;

   they show nothing but contempt for justice.

24 The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard;

   fools look for it everywhere but right here.

25 A surly, stupid child is sheer pain to a father,

   a bitter pill for a mother to swallow.

26 It’s wrong to penalize good behavior,

   or make good citizens pay for the crimes of others.

27 The one who knows much says little;

   an understanding person remains calm.

28 Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise;

   as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.

(Prov.17:23-28 MSG)

Prayer: I want to thank You God for Your wisdom. Let me to respect Your justice always and be aware of injustices that You expect me to be against them. Open my heart to acquire wisdom wherever I go.  

Wise and cheerful.

It is wise to maintain a cheerful attitude toward life. Being wise is not only to think better, but also to act better. Your right thinking about God, life and other people should influence your attitude. Hope and expectancy of God’s interventions in your life should encourage and give you a cheerful disposition. 

In the other hand, your attitude influences your thinking too. A cheerful attitude helps you to think better and equips you to make wiser decisions. If you become depressed, it is more likely that you will not think clearly. Gloom will distort reality making everything look more negative. Reality without hope becomes dry and unhealthy. So cheer up, God is with you.

A bad motive can’t achieve a good end;

   double-talk brings you double trouble.

21 Having a fool for a child is misery;

   it’s no fun being the parent of a dolt.

22 A cheerful disposition is good for your health;

   gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

(Prov.17:20-22 MSG)

Prayer: Let me see life with Your eyes, oh God. Let me have hope and encouragement to give room to improvements and progress. Let me share a cheerful attitude that will inspire and encourage other people to grow and progress in life. Let remind people that Your presence in our life can make us better than we can ever be by ourselves.

Protection and prevention

God gives us a buffer for times of stress. He gives us friends and family to support and encourage us. To help us not to give up. But, we need to do our part in preventing these trouble as much as we can. We should not sin or make stupid decisions that will put us in an unsustainable situation.

Friends love through all kinds of weather,

   and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

18 It’s stupid to try to get something for nothing,

   or run up huge bills you can never pay.

19 The person who courts sin marries trouble;

   build a wall, invite a burglar.

(Prov.17:17-19 MSG)

Prayer: You always got me covered. Thank you God, through tough times you surround me with compassionate friends and family. Help me not to run into bad decisions myself. Make me learn and grow in wisdom. I want to honor You in everything I do.

Grow in your relationships

Very often we say words that have a meaning we didn’t intend. Or sometimes we say things that crossed our mind but we didn’t weighted enough before saying it. Of course, these words will produce discomfort and sometimes make somebody angry or sad. If we do nothing about it, relationships will be damaged.

If we care and want to maintain and cultivate our relationships, we need to learn to overlook other people’s offenses. And when there is something wrong with somebody we can quietly help that persons in love to reconsider what he/she did. And of course, if we did something wrong we should recognize our fault and say "I'm sorry".

Everyone of us is in a journey. Some are in a journey to become better persons. Christians put their eyes in Jesus, and he is their perfect model. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. The best way to learn about God is to learn about Jesus. And when you compare yourself with the perfect model, you will be inspired and challenged to grow yourself.

Overlook an offense and bond a friendship;

   fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!

10 A quiet rebuke to a person of good sense

   does more than a whack on the head of a fool.

11 Criminals out looking for nothing but trouble

   won’t have to wait long—they’ll meet it coming and going!

12 Better to meet a grizzly robbed of her cubs

   than a fool hellbent on folly.

13 Those who return evil for good

   will meet their own evil returning.

14 The start of a quarrel is like a leak in a dam,

   so stop it before it bursts.

15 Whitewashing bad people and throwing mud on good people

   are equally abhorrent to God.

16 What’s this? Fools out shopping for wisdom!

   They wouldn’t recognize it if they saw it!

(Prov.17:9-16 MSG)

Prayer: Let me value my friendships. Oh God, fill my heart with love. Give me patience to overlook other people’s offense. Help me to forgive others and to forgive myself when I do things wrong. Help me to grow and become the person you intended me to be. And while I grow, let me love others, help others to grow and be patient with the ones who fall back and need time to recover.

Become a leader

When you allow yourself to grow and become a better person, others will look after you as a model. If you want to be a leader, you are expected to grow in your character, mature and acquire wisdom. Don’t take pleasure in somebody’s misfortune, even if it is your enemy. Always remember that unselfish generosity fills life with beauty. You can produce that type of beauty.

Whoever mocks poor people insults their Creator;

   gloating over misfortune is a punishable crime.

6 Old people are distinguished by grandchildren;

   children take pride in their parents.

7 We don’t expect eloquence from fools,

   nor do we expect lies from our leaders.

8 Receiving a gift is like getting a rare gemstone;

   any way you look at it, you see beauty refracted.

(Prov.17:5-8 MSG)

Prayer: Thank You, God, for your mercy to me. Help me to be merciful to poor or less fortunate people. I want to grow and be more like You. Help me to get rid of selfishness and be willing to share of myself to others.

Assay

Life will test your quality as a person. The good news is that you can become better and better if you allow God to guide you. Growing in wisdom is a sign of your willingness to obey and let God teach you. Testing of our faith is not always easy. Sometimes it becomes almost unbearable. But remember even in extreme situations God’s grace is with you. He will never abandon you. He will always stay at your side.

A meal of bread and water in contented peace

   is better than a banquet spiced with quarrels.

2 A wise servant takes charge of an unruly child

   and is honored as one of the family.

3 As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan,

   so our lives are assayed by God.

4 Evil people relish malicious conversation;

   the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.

(Prov.17:1-4 MSG)

Prayer: Thank You God for the peace you gave me. Help me to appreciate it. Fill me with Your love and faithfulness to be strong when facing difficult times. Protect me from malicious conversations. Don’t let my thinking to be contaminated with dirty gossip. Allow me to see the best on people and encourage them with it.

Moderation

It is good to have ambitions and dreams, but don’t let your ambitions destroy your relationships. Your desire for success should not be higher than your love and respect for the people around you. Moderation and self-control are better than personal success. Do your part in life and then leave the results in God’s hands. You cannot control everything. Your responsibility is just to do your best.

Calloused climbers betray their very own friends;

   they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.

30 A shifty eye betrays an evil intention;

   a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.

31 Gray hair is a mark of distinction,

   the award for a God-loyal life.

32 Moderation is better than muscle,

   self-control better than political power.

33 Make your motions and cast your votes,

   but God has the final say.

(Prov.16:29-33 MSG)

Prayer: Thank You, God, for the dreams and vision You gave me. Help me to work toward them, not forgetting the people around me. Help me to live a balanced life, to have goals of growth but also to enjoy life like it is right now. Help me to be passionate but to have patience too. Help me to face life challenges but to have rest and joy too. My God, my shepherd, my comfort, guide my steps.

Building takes time.

If you want to grow in any area of life, it will take commitment, vision, faith, passion and perseverance. In time progressively you will see your advancement. Growing doesn’t happen overnight. You cannot grow in your skills, reputation, friendship, trustworthiness, etc. from one day to the other. It takes time and perseverance.

In the other hand if you want to destroy any of this areas, it can happen overnight. Destroying is easy and fast. Growing and building takes effort and time. Value the long term results of what you do, it pays off. Don’t give in to the temptation to destroy other people’s life, in order to grow yourself.

Appetite is an incentive to work;

   hunger makes you work all the harder.

27 Mean people spread mean gossip;

   their words smart and burn.

28 Troublemakers start fights;

   gossips break up friendships.

(Prov.16:26-28 MSG)

Prayer: I put my life in Your mighty hands, oh God. I want to invest my life in growing and helping other people grow as well. Make me a promoter of life, growth, and health. Help me to avoid destroying what other people built with love and care.

Intelligence

Each one of us have insight of some area of life. You become an expert in certain areas of work, sport or study. But wisdom requires an holistic knowledge, a broader approach, an understanding of the complexity of life. The Bible gives you that. God revealed Himself through the Bible. The Scripture gave us the knowledge and wisdom we needed for thousands of years. God is still communicating to you, giving you the intelligence, the wisdom and understanding you need. Open your heart to Him, He will fill it with His presence. He is the only One who can give you real wisdom.  

A wise person gets known for insight;

   gracious words add to one’s reputation.

22 True intelligence is a spring of fresh water,

   while fools sweat it out the hard way.

23 They make a lot of sense, these wise folks;

   whenever they speak, their reputation increases.

24 Gracious speech is like clover honey—

   good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.

25 There’s a way that looks harmless enough;

   look again—it leads straight to hell.

(Prov.16:21-25 MSG)

Prayer: God, I need your wisdom. My understanding is limited. I cannot rely on myself. I need You to fill me, to open my mind, to transform my thinking, to put grace on my speech, to put energy in my soul and body. I know I have only one life. I want to live the life You gave me and live it to the full.

Wisdom and money

Income without wisdom is a waste. I have seen foolish people become rich suddenly. Their money didn’t cure their foolishness. They kept making wrong decisions. Spend time and money growing in wisdom and developing your character. It will be worth more than money. Live wise and trust God, it is the best way of living, no matter if you are poor or rich.

Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money;

   choose insight over income every time.

17 The road of right living bypasses evil;

   watch your step and save your life.

18 First pride, then the crash—

   the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

19 It’s better to live humbly among the poor

   than to live it up among the rich and famous.

20 It pays to take life seriously;

   things work out when you trust in God.

(Prov.16:16-20 MSG)

Prayer: Your wisdom is better than any other value. Help me to remember it when tempted to compromise. Protect me from selfishness. Fill me with humility and consideration for others. I am glad You came into my life. I trust my life to You, my Lord, and my God.