Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin

May 27

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God…Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17-18)

“Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:7-9)

We are about to embark on a study of wise financial stewardship. Do we genuinely believe that everything we have comes from God’s hand, either directly or indirectly? As I approach worship today, am I going with a sense of satisfaction and contentment with my “lot?” Or, am I going to approach God as if I am the one responsible for my situation in life? If I believe that my wealth or success has been generated solely by my works, I have little need of God and worship is less crucial to my “other” life of business and home. So let’s ask ourselves this question, “Why am I worshipping God today?” There are many possible answers, some superficial and some profound. Do I go because I am commanded to go, expected to worship, and it’s the right thing to do? Am I going to church because I love Jesus Christ who died for me, for my forgiveness and eternity in heaven with him—because I want to return his love? Am I worshipping today because I belong to God and I love to gather with God’s children delighting in his grace and truth? Do I go because the church belongs to God; it is his bride, and I want to be at the wedding party? Which answer comes closest to yours?

If we go to church satisfied and content with our lives, with all that God has given us, we are more likely to delight in all aspects of our worship. Agur, the author of Psalm 30, had two requests for his life that should be our requests to be content with what God has given us. In his prayer, Agur first asks for God’s help to not be deceitful or a liar, and for God to keep away those who lie and might deceive him. The second request is that he would not have too much or too little of the things of this world. Too many possessions may deceive us into thinking that we deserve them and have earned them for ourselves, forgetting God’s sovereign providence. He rules over our lives and is the first cause of our poverty or wealth. Accomplishments that we achieve are done so by his power, having created us with the skills, talents, and gifts whereby we are successful.

Poverty has its own challenges. If I focus on what I do not have that I need, I may resort to getting my needs met in sinful or ungodly ways. The other big obstacle with poverty is the tendency to become materialistic in my thinking, “If I only had this, my life would be better.” A poor person’s physical life is doubtless improved by material enrichment, but his spiritual life may suffer as he focuses more on earthly possessions and less on God and his spiritual growth.

If we are to be wise today, we will take to heart this simple prayer as we worship the Lord: “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

 

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6)

“…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Today I was greatly encouraged by the words of others. I started the day with a one-on-one meeting with a church member and partner in ministry. I was very encouraged by our sharing from the heart about our challenges right now and ideas for ministry. Later I received a text message from another friend about someone who is in the hospital. I called the friend in the hospital, and our very short conversation was encouraging because she is so peaceful and secure in Christ. Then I spoke with a few others, including an older friend who is getting much-needed help with her chronic back pain. I am relieved to hear that she is getting this medical attention. I also had a lovely one-hour phone conversation with a new friend and was happy to get to know her better. The conversations I had with others made my day significant, satisfying, and uplifting.

I was aware that all of us are thankful for God’s help and grateful to have connected with each other. I was unsure of what to say at times but knew that God was watchful over our dialog and guided me in the direction I took when it was my turn to add to the conversation, to bring a little gospel salt into the mix. So we talked about what God is doing in our lives. In a couple of instances, we explored how we might trust Christ more and appreciate whatever he is ordaining.

The Apostle Paul seemed always to be mindful of sharing encouraging messages with the churches to lift up the spirits of God’s people. Timely God-centered communication is a vital ministry that all of us can do by just picking up the phone, texting, or emailing someone with encouragement and news. Paul wanted to encourage the church in Ephesus: “So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.” (Ephesians 6:21-22) Paul also mentored others to encourage the churches. To the Colossian church he wrote, “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.” (Colossians 4:7-9)

Words and language are a gift from God, to use for his glory, serving others in love. As we finish our study of words and move onto our next topic, I realize that I have become more sensitive to the words I use and give more thought to using my communications as a ministry. How about you? How have your words changed over the last month? Do your words reflect the gospel at work in your life?

“Let another praise you and not your own mouth; a stranger and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2)

“Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10)

What do these two passages have in common? They both describe ways that the fools in the world today use their tongues rather than stay silent. They praise themselves, and they casually curse God and others, without a second thought. As a matter of fact, in some circles doing both is a sign that you’re “righteous, dude!” Not so the wise!

Concerning the issue of self-glorification, Paul provides an excellent method of turning self-boasting into gospel witnessing. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-13 he begins to mimic the false teachers who have been boasting about themselves, claiming to have superior spiritual experiences and more authentic ethnic lineage. So Paul boasts (in the third person) about his own visions. But then he drops the irony and boasts in the grace of God to make him weak with some physical ailment (“a thorn in the flesh”).  The apostle’s point is that God  demonstrates his work most powerfully through human weakness, not greatness. * Would you like to be great in the eyes of your co-workers, neighbors, or acquaintances who live for earthly gain? Boast about yourself. Would you like to be wise in the ways of the Lord and used powerfully for his glory, rather than your own? Stay silent, or do as Paul did by boasting about your weakness and Christ’s strength in you. In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth he wrote, “I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5)

The second issue, cursing, is a sin and should never be heard from the mouth of a Christian. Using God’s name in vain is the way most people think of the commandment that forbids mocking, insulting, cursing, or ridiculing God. The silent generation and some of us baby-boomers remember the saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” which is the virtual opposite of what is happening in the world today. There are so many ways that people use God’s name, and specifically Jesus’s name, as an exclamation of woe or with simple irreverence. Do I need to spell them out (hint, hint)? A three-letter exclamation that is overused today should sting our ears. Whenever people use God’s name in anything but a holy manner, they are sinning and bringing judgment on themselves. So Christians are not to use God’s name, but instead use, “Wow,” or other neutral phrases. What we do when others abuse God’s name is more complex and depends on many factors. As for myself, I try to let people know that it is offensive to me.

When will you be silent and when will you speak? Think about it!

* ESV Study Bible, 2008, Crossway Bibles, Good News Publishers, Note on 2 Cor. 12:1-13.

“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent…Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.” (Proverbs 17:28; 23:9)

“Save your breath.” “Flattery will get you nowhere.” These are two common sayings that promote wisdom by not speaking. Here are a few more quotations to think about. “Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud” (Hermann Hesse). “Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute” (Josh Billings). “I am annoyed by individuals who are embarrassed by pauses in a conversation. To me, every conversational pause refreshes” (George Sanders).

The goal of this exercise is to think about how both our words and silence impact others, or fail to do so. There is some wisdom in them, gained by experience, no doubt. The world is not devoid of intelligence, but limited by the scope of human reasoning. Whether or not we agree with all the quotations in the paragraph above doesn’t really matter. What matters is if we agree with biblical quotes. The Proverbs quotations from chapters 17 and 23 are the most profound because they are inhabited by the power and wisdom of God. Silence is so wise that even a quiet fool comes across as intelligent. Some of us have frequent opportunities to visit with or share meals with acquaintances who like to draw us into controversial conversations about politics, sports, public figures, or any number of other subjects. I was bantering with an acquaintance the other day in the exercise room, having a pretty good time debating with her about some medical advice she was offering for my upcoming knee surgery. We were smiling and enjoying our little debate, but another person in the room suggested that we may need a referee. I heard this as a red flag, indicating that what we enjoyed as friendly banter was perceived as an argument, so I ceased and desisted from the back-and-forth volley. In this case, the silence was better than our fairly pointless words (although they did help pass the time while we were exercising).

The second verse refers to speaking to a fool, knowing that the person to whom we direct our words will not appreciate them. In this case the hearer’s hard heart will hate the wisdom we seek to share. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” (Matthew 7:6). Remaining silent is the most intelligent thing we can do in the presence of those who will not appreciate our words, and especially gospel wisdom. Hopefully we are not trying to prove our intelligence, because it is more likely that we will disprove it as soon as we open our mouths. Silence in this case can even be worshipful, as we listen and pray for the one who shuns God’s wisdom. “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” (Habakkuk 2:20)

Will you think about being silent today when you’re in the middle of a conversation, to glorify God?

“Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent…Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips…A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.” (Proverbs 11:12; 24:28; 25:18)

How many times have we heard sermons about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37)? Most of us can probably repeat the parable correctly without too much help, which is good. Let me point out that the cold silence and neglect shown by the Jewish priest and the Levite in the parable is ungodly, unkind, and unwarranted. We cannot make up “rules” about the good and appropriate use of silence when it comes to helping others. Jesus used this parable to answer the question from the Jewish lawyer, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) This is “an improper question because the lawyer was trying to exclude responsibility for others by making some people ‘non-neighbors.’ A more appropriate question would be, ‘How can I be a loving neighbor?’” * But Jesus did answer the lawyer’s question, didn’t he? Anyone in need is our neighbor, regardless of their religion, standing, or race.

Now we will veer off the main point of the parable to notice that the Samaritan helped the man who had been robbed, not with words, but with actions. So the silence of two was unbiblical, but the kindness of the Samaritan was consistent with loving, compassionate of true faith.

But our verses in Proverbs refer to the harm we do, not in our silence, but in our reports about our neighbors, seeking to bring them harm with gossip or slander. Proverbs 11:22 exposes the senselessness of those who belittle another by speaking against someone, rather than staying quiet. Proverbs 24:28 teaches us not to report on our neighbors without cause or to lie about them. And 25:18 describes the one who lies about her neighbor as a weapon of great destruction (war club, sword, or sharp arrow), inflicting serious harm. We have “don’ts” that we can translate into “dos.” Do respect your neighbor by staying silent if necessary and do withhold a report about your neighbor, if possible.

So sometimes we are right to be quiet and other times our silence witnesses against us, revealing our selfishness and lack of Christian love and compassion. Discernment for each situation is required if we are to use silence as an instrument of godly wisdom. We should be silent about our neighbor’s confidences, respecting their privacy. We should be quiet when we feel critical of others and what they are or aren’t doing is not impacting us. This may be the time for prayer, not talk, for a relationship that will support vulnerable gospel-based sharing in the future. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)

“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” (1 Peter 2:15)

* ESV Study Bible, 2008, Crossway Bibles, Good News Publishers, Note on Luke 10:29

“A fool gives vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” (Proverbs 29:11)

When I was a little girl, I often heard that children should be seen but not heard. Perhaps this sounds harsh to you, but there are times when it is appropriate for children to be quiet although they are nearby. For example, when two adults are having a conversation, it is proper for a child to be quiet until there is a pause when he can say, “Excuse me,” rather than interrupting. If I am one of those adults and see a child patiently waiting to talk, I will be sure to pause giving him or her a chance to speak, unless it would be hurtful to the adult to do so. If we give children too much freedom, they may never learn the value of silence, of “holding back” feelings, especially anger and frustration. *

Families are often lax at practicing silence unless it is the silence of sulking, ignoring, or shunning. Many family members today say that they feel comfortable enough to be themselves, meaning that they can say whatever they want to spouses, children, parents, and siblings. This is not only unbiblical, but it’s unkind.  If we think that saying whatever we wish (giving vent to our spirits) is a good thing, that being foolish is right, we are wholly unbiblical, and we are the fools referred to in Proverbs. Fools are lost souls that live for this world and have not eternal hope. We who have the gospel working in our hearts are to be the most compassionate and empathetic, caring more for others than ourselves. As followers of Jesus Christ, we seek to serve and trust the Lord to provide for us, rather than assert our every need and opinion.

Two of my favorite places are libraries and bookstores, probably because they are quiet spaces where everyone is occupied. It’s easy to be quiet in a place designed for that purpose, but homes can also be quiet places of refuge. Perhaps there is a particular room where, or a specific time when it might be useful for someone in your family to calm down or relax quietly. In my experience as a primary school headmaster, one of the most effective uses of silence was on behalf of out-of-control students who needed to disengage,  to “gather themselves” and come back to their senses. I learned to do this for myself first and then was able to help children learn to use time-outs for their anger management.

There are many ways to incorporate quietness in our homes: silence for a moment during family prayer times or devotions, quiet homework time, TV off for reading time, journaling, and listening to a story or other material being read out loud. Listening carefully, writing, thinking, and reading require some quietness, if not complete silence. Which of these need to be emphasized in your home or in your daily routines? As for me, I’m doing it right now. 😊

* Bible translations besides the ESV use alternate words for “spirit:” the NIV uses “rage” and the NLT, ERV and GN use “anger.”

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7)

“When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” (Proverbs 10:19)

How often do you find yourself in complete silence? If you’re like most people, the answer is “not very often.” Some people enjoy quiet; others are uncomfortable with it. Some of my friends like to listen to music or have the television on when they are working on a project or writing. Do your kids or grandkids do their homework equipped with earbuds and a phone? They may be ok with it. (And aren’t earbuds better than listening to their music?) Life in 2018 is noisy—restaurants, stores, and malls are exceptionally loud. But there is a time for silence if one wants to be wise.

When the Israelites were against the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was approaching, the people cried out in despair. Moses told them, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:14). When Job grew tired of his friends uninformed advice he said, “…worthless physicians are you all. Oh that you would keep silent, and it would be your wisdom!” (Job 13:4-5) David wisely told his soul, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him” (Psalms 62:5). As Solomon wisely wrote, there is an appropriate time to speak and suitable time to be quiet. There are times when staying silent is tantamount to the sin of omission—neglecting to say something that should be said, as in sharing the gospel or rebuking a fellow Christian. But there are other times when stillness is the purest and wisest response. Quietness is a sign of wisdom in the face of foolishness.

This week we will explore the wisdom of silence according to the Bible. There are incidents reported in Scripture when quietness was the only appropriate response to God’s work. In Acts, Peter’s report of the Holy Spirit’s redemption of Cornelius’s Gentile household to the Jerusalem council was met with quietness. Luke writes, “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life’” (Acts 11:18). In John’s vision on the Isle of Patmos, Jesus, the Lamb received the worship of the multitudes with the martyrs, and before fire was thrown down to earth, opened the seventh seal. “There was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1). In his now song, “I Can Only Imagine,” Bart Miller wonders if he will “sing hallelujah or…be able to speak at all.” There have been times in my life when God has done something so awesome that I am involuntarily silenced and glad for it.

So today I would suggest a little self-examination on the subject of silence, and your ability to be quiet when it is wise. In our culture that is increasingly obsessed with 24-hour news coverage, digital connections, and social networking, silence may seem out-of-place, and our children may have no appreciation of it. But the Bible is counter-cultural and we are to be likewise. Will you try a little silence today when you would otherwise be reading, talking, listening, or watching?

“If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things…With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:3-5, 9-10)

In his letter, James moves from teaching about the fruit of faith in our works in chapter 2 to the fruit of faith with our tongues in chapter 3. He compares our tongues to bits in the mouths of horses or rudders on large ships. But unlike bits or rudders, that cannot speak, our tongues boast excessively. The comparison is one of size and influence, not function. A small bit or rudder can guide toward a destination or miss its mark entirely. Our tongues, likewise, can either encourage and build others up or tear them down in discouragement. There are two paths, we choose one or the other—we move toward God or away from him. The wise walk with God, blessing him and the foolish walk on their own path, as if cursing him by their unbelief, critical spirits, and disenfranchised attitudes.

According to God, through James, “we all stumble in many ways” (3:2a) and cannot control our tongues (3:8). Paul lamented over this divided condition of a child of God. “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (Romans 7:14-23) We may think that our slips into sin are small, but they have disastrous consequences, which Paul understood.

The truth of our persistent sinfulness would leave us hopeless and helpless were it not for the knowledge that we have been adopted into God’s family, the body of Christ. Paul declares, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25) James says that “if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” (3:2b). Who is this perfect man? He is Jesus Christ and only Christ. James and Paul agree—none of us is perfect except the One who atones for us. Our tongues either bless Jesus or curse him.

Today in church we have the opportunity to meet with Jesus Christ, to be blessed by his gospel. Are you anticipating the strength you will receive from corporate worship, confession, and communion? The more we practice using our tongues for blessing, the better. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity…and watching over the way of his saints…for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech.” (Proverbs 2:6-12)

“Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life…Christ the blessed one gives to all, wonderful words of life…All so freely given, wooing us to heaven. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.” (“Wonderful Words of Life” hymn, by Phillip P. Bliss—PDHymns.com)

“The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:6-8)

Our tongues can be used for good or evil, like all of our other body parts. Wise feet stay on the narrow path with Christ, but foolish feet choose the broad path of the world for fulfillment. Wise hands work diligently to build or work; foolish hands grab at coveted possessions. Wise tongues teach biblical truths to others, testify for Christ, praise God, minister to those who are ill, recite Scripture, and encourage the faithful. But foolish tongues provocatively start conflicts or re-light conflicts that were dying out (and just needed a little fuel to flame them into fire again). James helps us understand the deadly seriousness of a foolish tongue with pictures of a forest fire, an untamable, wild animal and a fatal poisonous sting.

Have you ever witnessed or tried to stop a brush fire? If you have, you know the speed at which it spreads, the heat it generates, and the fear it instills. When I lived on a horse farm in Maryland many years ago, a tractor hit a small rock and sparked a fire on the adjacent field. Within minutes the fire was alarmingly moving in our direction, toward the house. We raced to soak the ground around the house to keep the blaze from engulfing it and fortunately this tactic worked. But we stayed there watching the fire until it petered out to be sure that we had averted the danger of the all-consuming inferno. The ground was black from the water line as far as we could see in the field. What had been green trees were now ash covered sticks pointing feebly toward the sky. The farmer didn’t plant any crops that season on the dried-up topsoil, and it took weeks before any green foliage reappeared that summer.

Our tongues, instruments of unrighteousness, can quickly set afire controversy that will ruin lives, or destroy relationships, burning up all the goodness that has been established. Like a fire burning out of control, we cannot tame or restrain our tongues in spite of knowing how dangerous they are. With our poisonous tongues we pretend, lie, flatter, gossip, slander, and stir people up in anger.

There are two points of hope, however, so that we do not lose heart. First and foremost, while we cannot control our tongues, the Holy Spirit can, as we submit to him. One day, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). This is the highest use of our tongues.

Secondly, since all that comes out on our tongues is from our hearts, as we engage in the work of sanctification, our tongues will bear the fruit of our spiritual growth. Our cursing will decrease as we increasingly use our mouths to bless God and others. “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.” (Proverbs 26:20-21)

Will you be starting or putting out fires today?

“A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul…Pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.” (Proverbs 18:6-7; 30:33)

There are times when the cook should stir the pot of soup and times when he shouldn’t. If he foolishly ignores instructions in the fish soup recipe and stirs, he may end up with thick fish mush. I can’t tell you the number of times that I forced myself to eat something that didn’t turn out well because I foolishly tried to cook my meal faster. Fools stir up simmering anger with their mouths, walking into fights. These proverbs verses offer three word-pictures for those who foolishly incite or stimulate anger.

First, though, let’s remember that anger doesn’t start with our lips but with our hearts and attitudes. Some of us are more prone than others to be excitable, and therefore more easily tempted to speak angry words. “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention (Proverbs 15:18). “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11). If we are diligent in dealing with our problems of envy, resentment, unresolved hurts, and other personal issues, and if we do so with “good sense,” we are less likely to be hot-tempered or angry when new hurts or insults come our way. We work from the inside-out most of the time, dealing with the root of our ungracious speech. However, angry words may be a habit that is hard to break but must be curtailed if we are to glorify God with our speech.

Proverbs 18:6-7 pictures a fool’s lips like a gang member who cares only about getting revenge and walks right into a fight, eyes wide open. The fool is beaten up; those who are foolish with their tongues are those whose souls are in jeopardy. Proverbs 30:33 pictures the cook pressing curds and the patient pressing a sore nose to a person who presses anger, which then produces conflict and fighting. (Some Bible translations use “stirring up” in place of pressing.) Imagine that you have a three-year-old child who knows just what say to irritate you, and how to “push your buttons” to the point of exasperation. Wise adults do not behave like this child but know that angry words result in angry relationships, as pressing produces curds.

An angry Christian woman should manage her ire carefully, so she doesn’t incite others to anger. The fuming man who seeks to glorify God must discover the source of his rage, it’s reasonableness or unreasonableness, and how to best handle it without hurting others. There was a time in my life when I thought it was impossible to stop becoming angry or to stop my angry words when I was aggravated, but that has all changed, all credit to God in answer to prayer. Scripture says, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Let me be clear—this verse from Luke refers to salvation. (See Luke 18:18-30.) But if it is possible for God to save a condemned sinner from that eternal punishment by his grace, how much easier is it for him to rescue us from habitual anger?

What makes you angry—rebellious children, people who are late for appointments, traffic, people who misunderstand you, or your own failures? Will you seek to know your triggers and ask the Lord to help you deal with your irrational, impatient reactions to these normal situations in life?