The Words Of A Wise Man

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

Ecclesiastes 10:12

You always want to remember this verse. While no one is perfect, a wise man will think before he opens his mouth. On the other hand, a fool will blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

The Fool

If you are not careful, you can end up listening to a fool. Even worse, you can become one yourself. Verse 14 even reminds us, “A fool also is full of words.”

You know the type, the individuals who say much, they’re full of words. Sometimes, those words make them sound really smart. However, you always have a hard time trying to figure out what all those words really mean.

The Bible is not only warning us against people like this, it’s warning us not to become that fool.

The Wise

Instead, we are to be a reflection of Jesus. We are to be a wise man that will not only uplift himself, but his family, friends, and those around him. The book of James teaches us many lessons like this.

Remember James 1:19?

“Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”. That is what a wise man does. On the other hand, the fool listens with one ear, reacts quickly, and blurts out things he will regret later.

Don’t Be The Fool

It’s easy, sometimes it even feels good to blurt things out. Like when that guy cut you off in traffic, so you flipped him the bird and said every obscenity that came to mind.

It felt good, didn’t it?

Probably.

However, that is acting the fool, and certainly not playing the role of a Christian. This is just one example, but in a quick moment, if we are not careful, we can become the fool which can even get us into trouble.

Friends, these types of things do not build up our character, nor will they help others respect us in life.

Let me share another thought.

A Thought

Sometimes we get so bent out of shape when something bad happens, we act irrationally. Once again, becoming that fool. When these moments arise, I try and put the moment into perspective…

I ask myself,

“Will this really matter in 5 days, 5 months or even 5 years?”

Think about that for a minute.

Think about all the times you got upset with yourself, family, and friends over something that seemed important at the time, but in reality, it didn’t matter a whole lot looking down the road.

I don’t know folks, that one always helps me, maybe it will help you.

Summary

All I can say is, you will learn a lot more in life by keeping your mouth closed instead of constantly feeling the need to open it. We learn by listening, not by talking.

When you are out and about today, whether it’s work, driving to the store, or just hanging out with your family, remember Ecclesiastes 10:12. Remember to possess the mouth of a wise man who speaks graciously.

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