Thursday, September 27, 2012

EMMDEV 2012-09-27 [Proverbs revisited] Words

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking
But he who restrains his lips is wise Proverbs10:19

When I typed the verse above - I accidentally typed `retrains`

Maybe not so accidentally! I think most of us need some retraining in order to restrain. There are three ways in which a multitude of words are the symptom of character failure:

1. We gossip - we use many words to share our thoughts and opinions of others.
2. It shows that we do not know how to listen: God gave us two ears and one mouth - go figure!
3. We are proud, arrogant and full of our own opinions and will make others listen by drowning them in words.

So how do we re-train?
1. Make sure brain is engaged before putting mouth into gear.
2. Ask ourselves if what we are about to say will build or break down.
3. Ask ourselves if we have really listened.
4. Remind ourselves that ours is only one opinion of many.

Watch your words today.


---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/