SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/4/2013
11:27 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Speech can
be used to do Evil PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Proverbs
Message of the
verse: We will be looking at the
second sub-point from “Speech can be used to do Evil.”
We hurt others by
gossiping: Let us begin this section
with a verse from the book of Leviticus 19:16 “"Don’t spread gossip and
rumors. "Don’t just stand by when your neighbor’s life is in danger. I am
GOD (The Message).” Let us look at this
in the NKJV “‘You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor
shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.” Dr. Wiersbe gives a wonderful explanation of
what the word “talebearer” means and where it came from. The word means “to go about,” and he says
that it probably was derived from a word meaning “merchant” and the reason that
is interesting is that just as a merchant goes around peddling his goods so a
gossip goes around peddling his gossip.
Proverbs 11:13 says “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.”
Being a customer of a gossip can be a dangerous thing, “He who goes
about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who
flatters with his lips.” We learn from
this verse that gossips flatter those to whom they tell their gossip to, and
that is probably why they are successful.
I once heard a man speaking about how not to gossip and he said that we
were go to the throne and not the phone.
Next we see that a gossip likes his gossip like a normal
person likes food. “The words of a
whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of
the body) Pr. 26:22).” In order for a
person who craves gossip to get away from it is to feed on the truth of the
Word of God: “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant
to your soul (Pr. 2:10).” Gossips do a great deal of evil, “26 ¶ A worker’s appetite works for him, For his
hunger urges him on. 27 A worthless man
digs up evil, While his words are like scorching fire. 28 A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer
separates intimate friends (Pr. 16:26-27).”
“For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer,
contention quiets down (Pr. 26:20.”
We hurt others by
flattery: The English word to
flatter comes from a French word that means “to stroke or caress with the flat
of the hand.” Looking at moves that
involve French men I can understand that meaning came from France. Flattery is not good, “A man who flatters his
neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps (Pr. 29:5).” We can see early on where the first flatter
came from when we look at what Satan said to Eve when he told her that if she
ate the fruit that she as God.” Now we
know that if Satan did this then flattery has to be bad. We can see that in the book of Proverbs that
the prostitute uses flattery to get her victims, “For the lips of an adulteress
drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech (Pr. 5:3).” “That they may keep you from an adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words Pr. 7:5).” “With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her flattering lips she seduces him (Pr. 7:21).” There are those who flatter the rich to get
something from them: “Wealth makes many
friends, But the poor is separated from his friend (Pr. 19:4). I am sure that we have all heard of a person
who wins the lottery and all of a sudden he has so many friends and even relatives
that he has never heard of and they probably all line up to flatter him.
We probably all love flattery at least love it more than
a rebuke, but a rebuke done with love can surely do more good that
flattery. “Faithful are the wounds of a
friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Pr. 27:6).” “He who rebukes a man will afterward find
more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue (Pr. 28:23).” We are not saying that there is not a place
for genuine praise to be given to others who are deserving of it that brings
glory to God, “11 ¶ Therefore encourage
one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. 12 But we request of you, brethren, that you
appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the
Lord and give you instruction (1 Thes. 5:11-12).” I believe one of the tougher things that a
Pastor has to do is not to become puffed up over all of the compliments that he
receives for humility is difficult when praises are given to a person with
great regularly, for perhaps some of the compliments are meant to be flattery.
We must beware of someone giving us flattery especially
in the morning: “24 ¶ He who hates disguises it with his lips, But
he lays up deceit in his heart. 25 When
he speaks graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in
his heart (Pr. 26:24-25).”
We will look at the last two sub-points in the next SD
(Lord Willing).
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I don’t suppose
that if anyone reads a lot in the book of Proverbs that he will not come away
feeling guilty over things that he has done in the past, but the question is
what are we to do about it? I think we
discovered part of the answer while looking at what we spoke of when speaking
of the gossip and how they can quit gossiping and then we looked at Proverbs
2:10 which says, “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be
pleasant to your soul.” We learned early
on in our study of Proverbs that when we speak of wisdom we speak of one who
has been born from above. We also know that
wisdom comes from the Word of God and so we need to fill our minds with the
Word of God so that it will take the place of the other worldly things that are
in our minds. We think mostly about what
we like and so how we think determines much about us.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Fill my mind with the Word of God and think
on it throughout the day.
Memory verses for the
week: Psalm 32:1-5
1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is
the man to whom the LORD dose not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is
no deceit! 3 When I kept silent about my
sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon
me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my
iniquity I did not hide; I said “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
Turning Points Wisdom for
Today: “If you pray for bread and bring
no basket to carry it, you prove the doubting spirit which may be the only
hindrance to the gift you ask.” (D. L.
Moody) “With men this is impossible, but
with God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 26:19)
3/4/2013 12:19 PM
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