by Wesley Blackburn
So, I'm not going to lie... when it comes to reading material, Proverbs isn't exactly an easy read. However, there's still a lot of wisdom in there, and after reading through Proverbs 16, 17, and 18, I think I picked up on two major themes:
1. Living an upright life is important. Through the first couple chapters, Solomon really hits home on the importance of living an upright life. To be "upright" simply means to live a life that is upstanding; a life that does what is right and seeks righteousness.
People who live an upright life are desirable in all areas of life. Think about it; you've probably never met a good person who didn't have some sort of draw to them. People who just want to do the right thing have this natural draw. You can trust them. You can get wise advice from them. They make good friends. People who live an upright life are just great to have around.
We've probably all seen the consequences of a life that hasn't been lived in an upright manner. Yes, you may get ahead for a while, but eventually it all comes crashing down because God just has this uncanny knack for allowing the poisonous sin we practice the most to come and hit us hard at the most inopportune time. What's so ironic is that when it happens in my life, I usually come back to the same, tired old refrain: "That's not fair!"
But with people who seek good, it's different. Number one, you don't have to deal with the cruddy consequences of cruddy choices. But I think there's another benefit: you gain moral authority and credibility. Recently, I've been reading a book entitled Visioneering by Andy Stanley, and just this morning I finished a chapter that talked about how when what we say we believe and what we actually practice come into alignment, we gain moral authority. Basically, that means that people start to listen to us, even if we don't necessarily have a position that dictates that they have to listen to us. We gain influence in people's lives not because of the position we have, but because of the way we live. What a great way to earn an opportunity to share Jesus with others!
2. The tongue carries incredible power. And responsibility. Chapter 18, though, served as a humbling reminder for me about the incredible power of my tongue to heal and also to destroy. Proverbs 18:21's promise that "the tongue has the power of life and death" has proven to be true in my life time and time again.
I still have some problems controlling my tongue today, but I was really bad when I was younger (hard to imagine, I'm sure). But what was so terrible is that my tongue would just spout off so many hateful, angry, and judgmental things that it was unbearable. I burned a lot of relational bridges between myself and many of my classmates. I wonder if I would have had better opportunities to share Christ with them, but just couldn't because I'd lost all credibility to speak truth into their lives. Not to mention the fact that I lost opportunities for friendships all because I couldn't control my tongue.
You've probably seen it before in your life as well. That word you said in a heated debate with your spouse. The thing you didn't mean to say to a friend but just let slip. Those words can do damage in relationships that just can't be repaired, or at the very least take a long time to heal. But the opposite is also true. A well-timed, meaningful piece of encouragement for people can speak volumes. It can make even the most broken, hurting heart smile. Truly, the tongue does have the power of life and death. We just need to learn how to make the right choices with it.
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