Proverbs 10:17-21 — Construction Zone of Words

READ THIS: Proverbs 10:17-21

17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. 18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool. 19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

In short, this group of proverbs has to do with words, and how the words we decide to listen to and the words we decide to use have a clear effect on people around us. 

Verse 17 focuses on the words we listen to. There are a lot of times in life that we are given constructive criticism (discipline/correction), and we get to decide which of those pieces of correction we will take to heart. If we actively decide to ignore good constructive criticism, then we will never become the leaders that we need to be. Good leaders are able to adapt to new circumstances and change so that their followers can be well cared for...and when they don't do that, then they end up leading their people astray!

The rest of the verses have to do with the words we use. We can choose to be truthful people, or we can choose to be people who say whatever it takes to make it look like we are doing/feeling what we are supposed to be doing/feeling. At the end of the day, when we use words just to help ourselves and to conceal truth, we end up saying nothing of value and adding nothing to other people's lives. 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Do you ever think about the power of your words? When's a time that your words had a strong effect on other people?

2. What is a piece of constructive criticism that you should maybe take to heart and work on?
 
TRY THIS:

In the same vein as question number 2, I dare you to ask someone for constructive criticism. For example, you can ask your mom/dad how you might be a better help to them. Or, you could ask your boss/coworker how you might be able to be a better worker/teammate. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 5, 2023 at 6:06 AM

    Mine is kind of the reverse-the kind of long lasting effect words that are lies can have on you. Only with God’s help can we get over them because He can NEVER LIE TO YOU!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 2:1-5 — Marathon Training

R EAD THIS:  Galatians 2:1-5 1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we learned about how Paul went to Jerusalem and shared the incredible things Jesus did, but today, we are hearing about Paul's second time visiting Jerusalem... 14 years later. Paul talks about a bunch of things that happened ...
Read more

Luke 8:19-21 — Jesus's Fam!

R EAD THIS:  Luke 8:19-21 19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Ummmm, hold up, is Jesus dissing on His family here? I mean, I know He is God's Son and all, but at first glance, this passage makes it seem like He is kind of hating on His family! However, if we really look into this passage, it's actually a lot more about us than it is about the family of Jesus.  In case you forgot, the last few passages have features Jesus telling and explaining different parables to a large crowd as well as His disciples. Clearly, the crowd has gotten so large that Mary and Jesus's brothers (yes... Jesus had brothers!) couldn't even reach Him. When someone told Jesus "hey dude, your fam is here an...
Read more

WELCOME BACK! Hebrews Introduction

WELCOME BACK TO DEEPLY ROOTED!!! Greetings fellow Bible readers and Jesus journey-ers! We're stoked to get back in the swing of things with y'all. For any new readers, this section would usually be where our handful of Bible verses will be. The section below would break down what in the world the verses mean. Then, there are some debrief questions for you to dive deeper and an application point. A new addition this year is the Song of the Week! We'll share a song that ties into the theme of the next few verses...if you gaze ahead and have song suggestions, comment below or text! HEBREWS INTRODUCTION: As with any book of the Bible, different Biblical scholars say different things about this letter, but we'll tell you the most probable take. So here it is: Hebrews is a letter written to a group of Jews who were being persecuted for deciding to follow Jesus. It is a letter to encourage them and to show that Jesus truly is the best person to follow despite how hard it was g...
Read more