PROVERBS 25:11
INTRODUCTION
Some people are too talkative. They are like the young man who supposedly went to the great Greek philosopher Socrates to learn oratory. On being introduced, he talked so incessantly that Socrates asked for double fees. “Why charge me double?” said the young fellow. Because, said the orator; “I must teach you two sciences: the one is how to hold your tongue, and the other is how to speak.”
A young lady once said to John Wesley, “I think I know what my talent is.” Wesley said, “Tell me.” She replied, “I think it is to speak my mind.” Wesley said, “I do not think God would mind if you bury that talent.”
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
What is the antecedent of the word “it?” The antecedent is “the tongue.” So what Solomon the writer of Proverbs is saying is that, what you say can lead to life or death. Those who enjoy talking must bear its fruit, whether good or bad. This is a lesson for those who love to talk. A Jewish writing called “The Midrash mentions this point, showing one way it can cause death: “The evil tongue slays three, the slanderer, the slandered, and the listener.”
As we sail through this year (2011), I would like to encourage you to be cautious of your tongue and what you say. I am not asking you to shut your mouth, but weigh carefully what you say. Don’t be a gossip or talebearer. From the issue of the heart, the mouth speaks. Let Proverbs 25:11 be your guide in the twenty-first century. We live in a world of words. “A cold war” is basically a war of words. Hitler affirmed that he could conquer more nations by the stroke of a pen than by the sword. Words are medium of communication. Words can wreck. Words can revive. Words can ruin and words can restore. The Bible says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” This verse obviously speaks of the value of the right word spoken at the right time and in the right way. Words fitly spoken have constructive power to make a person what God wants him/her to be. What are some words that are like apples of gold?
I. WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Words of encouragement can make a winner out of a loser. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who are always discouraging their children by their words. Some people are by nature negative. And the sad thing is that even when they become Christians they don’t change.
Bobbie Burns in the heyday of his great power as a writer saw a little boy following him around. Turning to the boy Bobbie Burns said to him: “Walter, what do you wish?” And little Walter timidly said, “Oh, I wish that someday I might be a great writer like you, and have people talking about me like they talk about you.” The great-hearted man stopped put his hand on the head of little Walter and said, “You can be a great writer some day, “Walter, and you will be.” That little boy was Sir Walter Scott, and to the day of Sir Walter’s death, he could never speak of Bobbie Burns except with a sob of gratitude, for Burns spoke the word in season to the weary heart of a little boy. Words fitly spoken at the right time can make a world of difference in your life. Learn to be positive. One of the reasons some people move from church to church is because they have damaged emotions. Some Christians are not sensitive to what they say to people with damaged emotions.
II. WORDS OF CONSOLATION
Sorrow is all about us. Many people we meet everyday are carrying heavy burdens, struggling with heartache. They need our words of comfort, encouragement, and affirmation. Sickness and death, sorrow and separation are everywhere. People need words of comfort to keep them going. The apostle Paul says, “God comforts us so that we can comfort others in their tribulations.” Job is our example. His friends said of him, “By your words you have kept men on their feet’ (Job 4:4). Probably that was the only positive word Job’s friends said about him. If all friends were like Job’s three friends, Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar, nobody would need a friend.
The ancient philosopher Zeno once said, “We have two ears and one mouth, therefore we should listen twice as much as we speak”
q ILLUSTRATION:
That is why I always advise Christians that when you visit a church member or a friend who has lost a loved one, don’t say too much. Don’t go there to compare how you dealt with your own loss. Why? It is because people deal with grief differently. Some weep hysterically; some sob; some too keep the grief to themselves, but shed tears when they are by themselves. Your presence at the side of a friend during a time of loss, sickness, or pain is enough. Remember that your prayer support for a friend in times of suffering can bring healing quicker than thousands of words. Your words on a postcard can make a difference in a friend’s life.
A little girl lost a playmate in death and one day reported to her family that she had gone to comfort the sorrowing mother. “What did you say?” asked her parents. “Nothing,” she replied. “I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her.” The little girl had her theology right, because the Bible exhorts us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Unfortunately, because of selfishness and envy some Christians have got it in the reverse order. Some Christians weep when others are rejoicing and rejoice when others are weeping. But that should not be the case.
III. WORDS OF WITNESS
The most valuable and powerful words you can speak are words of testimony about what God in Christ has done for you. This is the task of every Christian.
Charles Peace said, “If I believed the Gospel, I would crawl across England on broken glass on my hands and knees to tell men it was true!” If many of you believe that the Gospel is true you would share it with others on regular basis. The apostle Paul, however, believed the gospel to be true. Therefore, he did not allow his confinement in Roman jail to silence him. Listen to what he wrote to the Ephesians: “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:18-20).
Paul asked for prayer from the Ephesians for boldness of witness, and the right way to communicate the gospel. I say without a doubt that we who are Christians can always present a word of testimony of Jesus Christ in any conversation we have with our unbelieving friends or colleagues.
A study has been made here in the US about why there are a few Jewish men in prison and the reason is quite simple. The Jewish family eats together. They pray for their meal, they read the OT and the father literally lays his hands on the children and say words of blessing to them.
Charles and John Wesley’s mother did a similar thing for her children. She and the husband had many children. Susanna Wesley would go to the room of her children and in their sleep lay hands on them one by one and prayed for them. She would pray for one of her children each day of the week. She alternated in this discipline. As a result all her children became believers. I have learned this Christian discipline, even though our daughters are not here. Not a single day goes by without me praying for them. We sometimes call them. They also call when they need to talk to us. Try that in your family and see the long time effect it would have on your children. I am not saying that when your child is being stubborn you have to be praising him/her. You need to be fair and firm. You have to maintain discipline in the house, else when they are old they will give you many troubles, but be positive. Use godly and positive enforcement and not nagging and name calling. Before I conclude let me leave you with these. You can make them as you guide for the year 2001.
Ø APPLICATION:
Five things observe with care: “To whom you speak; of whom you speak; And how, when, and where you speak.”
Here is how you can use your tongue constructively:
1. The healing tongue: Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Prov. 12:18).
2. The gentle tongue: A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov. 15:1).
3. The cheerful tongue: An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Prov. 12:25).
4. The discerning tongue: A man of knowledge uses words of restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent and discerning if he holds his tongue” (Prov. 17:27-28).
5. The controlled tongue: “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise” (Prov. 10:19).
q ILLUSTRATION:
Billy Graham said, “Pray that God will help you to use your tongue to heal rather than to hurt people.”
Under the control of the flesh, the tongue can only be a destructive instrument of the enemy. With the Spirit control it can be an agent of kindness, healing, and peace.
We all need to pray the preacher’s prayer, “Lord fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff and stop me when I have said enough.” Amen. Your words can be valuable and powerful; use them wisely.
