Friday, July 15, 2022
6 The words of a fool start fights;
do him a favor and gag him.
7 Fools are undone by their big mouths;
their souls are crushed by their words.
8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you really want junk like that in your belly?
9 Slack habits and sloppy work
are as bad as vandalism.
10 God’s name is a place of protection—
good people can run there and be safe.
-Proverbs 18:6-10 The Message
6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
9 Whoever is slack in his work
is a brother to him who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
-Proverbs 18:6-10 ESV
Verse 8 study: Who turns down gossip when it is good? It’s hard to do; it’s like trying to turn down your favorite food or dessert. Eating just one turns into one more, then more. Same with gossip. You can’t resist rumors the same way a dieter fights candy. Don’t open the box. If you go for gossip the first time, you can’t shake the second and third time, following one by one. It is a part of our sinful nature to have an appetite for gossip. Gossip is relished by the gossiper himself. He feeds on words that aren’t good.
Verse 9 study: Laziness destroys time and opportunity. The time wasted could have turned into something successful if you were active.
Verse 10 study: The Lord protects by strength and height. Safe implied here is “lifted out of reach.”
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