The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Choosing Their Words Carefully, being Swift to Hear and Slow to Speak!

29 Sep 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 September 2026   Proverbs 17:28.

Proverbs 17:28.        Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Oh friends, it’s a somewhat cloudy but warm autumn Tuesday at the end of September. And if you didn’t know that it was autumn, then you’ll certainly know it now, because all the leaves have begun changing colour. I looked out my bedroom window a short while ago and was I ever amazed at the beautiful golden yellow that a couple of trees had already turned in my neighbour’s backyard. And although autumn is the harbinger of winter, we still need to acknowledge it as the most beautiful season; the time when the Lord displays His artists’ palette with a variety of stunning colours.  

And today we’re going to look at a very interesting and most applicable scripture for these rowdy and ungodly times in which we’re currently living. It comes from the awesome wisdom of Cousin Sol in Proverbs, where he unequivocally states: ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov. 17:28)

Now that’s oh so true my brethren, as most of us have experienced through our long years of life. For we’ve seen so many of our supposed wise fellow human beings spouting off at the mouth, and so proving that they are not wise, but rather foolish. And we’ve also known foolish people, who have kept their mouths shut and thus considered wise. And in a sense they are indeed wise; keeping quiet when you don’t know something is indeed wisdom.

And I like how this overview breaks down that proverb. ‘Meaning and Lesson: Silence Hides Ignorance: When an unwise person stays quiet, others cannot hear their foolish thoughts, so people assume they are smart. Value of Restraint: Speaking too much often leads to mistakes, arguments, or trouble. Choosing not to speak shows self-control. Listening First: Keeping quiet gives you a chance to listen and learn instead of reacting too fast.’ And those are all good reasons for not spouting off at the mouth.

And the last one ‘Listening first,’ ties right into these wise words from James. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) Yes friends, man’s anger does not produce God’s righteousness, meaning the way He desires His people to live.

And being swift to hear and slow to speak also provide several other benefits. It teaches us self-control, helps us to stay calm and hopefully fix problems before they get out of control. We also need to pay close attention to what others are saying, trying to understand their point of view, before rushing to reply or getting angry. Waiting before you answer also helps stop arguments and keeps us from saying hurtful things we may later regret.

Believe me friends, those two Bible passages above are of great importance in our Christian lives, if we are to successfully live for Christ. And they all boil down to a few old and clichéd sayings which we all know but don’t pay much attention to in these days of social media, where everybody has an opinion and are ever so willing to share it. We all know the saying about putting our foot in our mouths. But we still do it all the time. What about listening more than you talk? Hn! That’s a no brainer! But we still make the mistake of interrupting others, not giving them a chance to finish their speech before rushing in with our two cents worth.

And in this oh so voluble society of today, talking less and listening more would surely be a step in the right direction, especially for those who claim to believe in and follow Christ! It’s like Cousin Sol says earlier in Proverbs: ‘In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth (restrains) his lips is wise.’ (Prov. 10:19) Yes mih bredrin, there is more likelihood of sin in a multitude of words than in a few choice ones. It’s like Job warned his friends when they began talking in rather unsympathetic terms about why he had suffered his calamity.

He declares: ‘Lo mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value. O that ye would altogether hold your peace (keep silent)! and it should (would) be your wisdom. Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.’ (Job. 13:1-6) Yes friends, that’s one of those instances where Job’s friends should have just kept quiet, instead of ranting on about his sins causing his calamity.

And these later words of Cousin Sol are also true: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Yes, there is power in our words, for remember the Lord spoke the universe into existence. However, when we LOVE to talk, we will eventually pay the price of our too many words. Oh my people, we know all those things, but yet we allow the enemy to taunt and tempt us into using our tongues indiscriminately. So, let’s hope that all we’ve said today about talking too much will have some positive impact on our future behaviour, for bridling our tongues would be of enormous benefit to our society.

Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…words might be wind…but they can cause some very unkind blows…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien    

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 July 2019 Matthew 10:22.

20 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 10:22.    ​And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
 

Ah friends, Saturday, the day of all days! (smile) What’s on the agenda for today eh? For most of us it’s sleeping in, then a lazy day on the couch, or fun and games, barbecuing and enjoying the summer weather. For others though it can mean a busy day at home; cleaning and washing and replenishing groceries and stuff; possibly harder work than what you get paid to do during the week. (smile) 

But that’s how life goes, and once you have Jesus walking in you and with you, then you don’t have to worry about getting whatever job it is done. Oh yes, it might be somewhat difficult, but you’re assured that with Jesus’ help, you will get it done successfully! All praise and glory to our great and wonderful God for the help He gives to us frail and mortal humans! 

And since it’s Saturday, let’s see what gems of wisdom our friend Anselm sent us this week nuh, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this one: ‘Life is too short to waste in the company of those who can’t wait to put you down. Let them say what they want. Their opinions aren’t your problem. Keep doing good, as you’ve always done. No matter what they do or say, don’t doubt who you are and what you’re doing.’ 

That’s wise advice friends! In this current mish-mash world, people are only too glad to put you down once you’re trying to improve yourself and your situation. Possibly because of jealousy, or their own laziness, they don’t want you to rise above them. But once you’re sure of who and whose you are, that you belong to Jesus, for you were bought with a high price, that of His precious blood, then you can ignore all the naysayers and go about Jesus’ business with confidence. 

And then there’s this: ‘Being quiet and calm doesn’t mean you’re weak. Such people show strength that’s under control. The most intelligent people know when to speak, know when to listen, and know when to be quiet.’ Oh what truth my brethren!

But unfortunately, with the current burst of technology that makes communication so easy, everyone has an opinion on everything and are not bashful to share it, thus the great explosion of social media and the large amount of nonsense, endless talking, false information, lies and deceit they provoke. 

Now here’s a gem: ‘You’ve been in situations where you thought you’d never make it out, but you did. You’ve lived through it, you’ve learned from it and you survived. So whatever it is that you’re currently going through right now, you can and will get through it if you are determined to push thru.’ 

Yes my faithful brethren. We’ve lived through numerous times of adversity and trouble, but with the Lord’s help we got through them all, stronger and more mature. So why worry about whatever tough situation you’re experiencing now eh? It’s a problem too many Christians face; not turning back and remembering what the Lord brought us through, and realizing and believing that if He’s done it a million times already, He’ll do it a zillion times in the future, for that’s His awesome, unbreakable and ever-faithful promise. 

And I particularly like the last two quotes, which fit together quite nicely. The first says: ‘People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.’ That’s an undeniable fact! That’s possibly because of the leader’s charisma or charm, or some sense of trust and reliability that they exude. There’s no better example of that than Jesus. Look at how He chose His first four disciples: 

‘And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers (fishermen). And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him.

And going on from thence, he saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee their father mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.’ (Matt.4:18-22) 

Ah mih people, those fishermen must have seen something in Jesus to just drop their livelihood and follow him, the last two leaving their poor father to manage on His own. And Jesus called Matthew the same way. Matthew was sitting at his tax office, adding up his money, when Jesus passed by and said to him, ‘Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.’ (Matt.9:9) 

Now who in their right mind would give up the lucrative position that the tax man held back in those olden times to follow some itinerant preacher eh, and more importantly why? But Matthew did it, so he must have seen something in Jesus or felt some abnormal pull to just give up his lucrative tax job to become a fisher of men. 

Now the last quote says: ‘Leadership is not wielding authority — it’s empowering people.’ And that’s exactly how a true leader ought to operate. If you’re secure in yourself and your authority and power, then there’s no need to blatantly wield said power. What you need to do is raise up your followers so that they too can embrace your vision and help you bring it to fruition. 

And again, Jesus is the best example of empowering leadership. He knew who He was, and what power He had, and realized that He could not proselytize the whole world on His own, so He brought together the twelve most unlikely candidates to help Him, and over a three year period He taught them and empowered them, so that they could go out and do His work after He was gone. 

I like how He told them: ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.’  (Matt.10:16) Imagine telling your workers that nowadays nuh! I doubt you’d have too many after that. And that did happen to Jesus. When some of them saw how difficult the task was, they simply quit. 

Furthermore, He warned them thus: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ Oh friends, those are indeed tough statements to hear and bear, and they still pertain to us today. But please note that the true disciples bought into Jesus’ vision and did withstand all the trials and tribulations they encountered to spread His Word. 

And they did such a wonderful job, that two thousand years later, despite all sorts of problems, that magnificent and true Word has come down to us, with all the same provisos and tough conditions.

Yes friends, the baton, the glowing torch of Christ’s salvation, has now been passed to us, to keep it burning, until we pass it on to the next generation. Please, I implore us, don’t let it be said that that eternal torch was extinguished on our watch! That would be such a dismal stain on our report card. Let’s stand strong and endure to the end! Much LOVE!

…to be eligible for a prize…one must finish the race…