Proverbs 24:26-29 — Let's Kiss (EEEP!)

READ THIS: Proverbs 24:26-29

26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. 27 Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. 28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead? 29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Verse 27 kind of sticks out in this grouping of verses, so we will ignore it for a second. As far as all the other verses, it has to do with responding the right way. When given a choice, we can choose to be dishonest, misleading, and/or spiteful OR we could chose to be honest, direct, and forgiving. The comparison of an honest answer is likened to a kiss on the lips. Now, a kiss on the lips is INTIMATE. When two people actively decide to kiss each other in that way, that means they are both willing to be vulnerable with each other, and that they are willing to be closer than they were before. Honest, direct conversations lead to that kind of vulnerability and intimacy, especially if it comes from conflict. Going to someone who hurt you and being forthcoming about that (and also forgiving) creates much deeper relationships, instead of destroying the relationships the way that responding in anger and spite does. 

Now, verse 27. That verse is about the right order of doing things. There are two different ways of interpreting the verse. The first is that it would be dumb to build a house before the land around you isn't ready for it. You'd want level land, and you wouldn't want all the shifting dirt to crud up your house. The other interpretation is that between building a new house and doing the important work at hand, you should get the pressing work done first because it's important for your long term stability. Either interpretation tells us that we need to take time to prioritize what's important and do the most important things first! When we forget to prioritize, we end up thinking the wrongs things are more important or pressing than they really are. 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Do you feel like you are honest, direct, AND forgiving? Which of those is hardest for you? Which is easiest?

2. How often do you prioritize things in your day? Do you ever include Jesus time in that priority list?

TRY THIS:

 

Make two lists of five things. On your first list, rank 1-5 the most important things to get done today. On your second list, rank 1-5 the most important values in your life (family, Jesus, etc). How can your first list reflect your second list better?