Proverbs 10:19-21

¹⁹Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. ²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. ²¹The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

First Snowfall

Winter has come. We cannot prevent snowfall which reminds us of things God controls. Well, have you ever pondered why leaves of trees fall to the ground before winter? What is the wisdom of fallen leaves before the snowfall?

Last week, leaves of apple trees have not completely fallen, but we have the first snowfall in the city. And, leaves of the apple trees collected snow; smaller branches bent down. I anticipated more snowfall; so, I removed the leaves from the apple trees to prevent frail twigs from being broken when more snow fall.

In spring and summer, leaves amplify the beauty of a tree. They’ve essential function to the growth of a tree. But in autumn, God had designed that leaves of particular trees fall to the ground. The work of our intelligent God is mysterious. By faith we trust that God allows even difficult concerns to happen for our good.

How do you practically apply what Christ invites in Matthew 11:28-29?

²⁸Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

When God allows difficult problems and we seek his help, glory belongs to him. The ways of the Lord is far better than our ways; it’s by faith we believe that.

Do you readily seek help from the Lord? Instinctively, we do our very best efforts to address personal concerns. We only ask help when we can’t do anything anymore, why? Human pride dictates that when we solved problems without help from others, glory belongs to us. We desire to excel on our effort. Selfish pride dictates us to perform on our own effort and ability. It’s human sinful instinct.

1.  Sin

¹⁹Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.

When media publish articles that may promote religious beliefs, they are labeled as conservatives. And, liberal minded readers cannot remain silent. They want their opinions to be known on comments sections of articles. The comments section of articles present a better view how the general public react or respond to a given issue. Controversial articles attract a lot of differing comments.

How should we respond to issues we don’t support or matters that oppose our beliefs and doctrines? How should we react as testimony or practice of faith?

Remain Silent

We can we learn when Jesus Christ was accused in Matthew 26:59-63:

⁵⁹The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward ⁶¹and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” ⁶²Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” ⁶³But Jesus remained silent.

Christ exemplified it when he was accused; he remained silent. We bear the name of Christ. As Christians, our behavior, attitude and words should reflect our belief in Christ. When instigators try to cause uncomfortable situation for us, we should be silent. To be silent is not easy; but we can use silence as time to pray.

If we expect oppositions to our belief as potential believers, we silently pray for them. How do you interpret, “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver?”

2.  Silver

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

Choice silver can be interpreted as most valuable. Nobody may throw away a choice silver. It should be secured; it can be used to purchase precious goods.

In the same manner, when righteous person gives counsel, it is precious, valuable and beneficial for the betterment of listeners who pay attention to it. Sensible listeners can discern, if a person speaks righteously or ridiculously.

How do you normally react when someone is not supportive to your ideas?

Let us learn from the prayerfulness of David. It narrated in 1 Samuel 23:1-5,  ¹David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,” ²he inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” ³But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!” ⁴Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. 

When others cannot agree with your opinion, they may try dissuade you. The followers of David presented a possible danger that could scare him. David made righteous decision; he sought guidance from the Lord. During uncertainty, we should seriously pray until we sense joyful peace in our heart as confirmation.

3.  Sense

²¹The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

Tragic situations happen when warning is ignored. The internet publishes tragedies that happened somewhere. There was tragic news about older woman. At a National Park beyond the border, tourists are warned to stay at least 25 yards away from bison because they can run faster than humans. But excitement prompted the woman to ignore the warning. Just to take closer picture of the animal, the woman approached within 10 feet of the bison multiple times. The bison attacked her. Such tragedy may happen to anyone who ignores warning.

In comparison, David did not ignore the warning of his men. He didn’t insist on what he wanted to do; he prayed for guidance, and he obeyed the Lord.

One may ask curiously, “Does God speak verbally to humans these days?”

Personally, have you ever heard verbally the voice of the Lord, lately?

Together, Let us reflect on what the Lord teaches in Matthew 7:24-27:

            ²⁴Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

You hear news of flooding anywhere in the world. Flood destroyed houses built next to rivers. Similarly, accomplishment that contradicts the word of God has no eternal value. When we practice what we learn from the Lord, we expect our activities to have eternal significance. God’s word should always be measuring gauge to everything we do. As we pray for guidance, we pray for increase of faith to trust God and have firm confidence that the Lord gives us right decision.

Even before we plan for our life, career and other concerns, we should ask God to reveal very clearly in our hearts and minds his will. Does it make sense?

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