STUDIETH TO ANSWER – Proverbs 15:28
Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
Are you careful to think about what you are going to say before you say it or are you one who often opens mouth and inserts foot? Too often we do not think about what we say before we say it and as a result, we reveal just how foolish we are.
When Solomon was faced with the problem of determining what he was going to do with the two prostitutes who were fighting over who was the mother of the living child, Solomon did not respond too hastily. While some might have thought that he was being hasting in his judgments by ordering the killing of the child, Solomon was wise in that he was relying upon the wisdom of God to reveal to HIM who the mother was. Solomon understood that the true mother would love her child enough that she would rather the child live and be given to another then that the child be killed and she obtain half of her child.
How often do you find yourself facing a difficult situation in which the words that you speak can either add fuel to the fire or can calm a storm? If you stop and are careful with your words, you can be a peacemaker and solve a troubled situation. However, if you allow the wicked man in you to say what you want, you may quickly find that the difficult situation you were facing has become worse.
Christ commanded us that out of the abundance of your heart does your mouth speak. This means that if you are not careful about what you put in your heart, then you will soon reap the results of the seeds that you planted in your life. You cannot continue to allow yourself to be placed in compromising environments and expect that you will be able to escape untarnished. The righteous man is careful about even allowing himself to dwell in a place that could compromise his integrity.
It does not take much to ruin your reputation. Take a bright white sheet and a single small stain can ruin the entire sheet. People judge you by what they see about you. The righteous man understands that their life is a testimony of a living God. If the righteous man is acting like the world, why would anyone want to come and serve God? The world is carefully examining your Christian life to see if you are a hypocrite or if you actually live your life in accordance with the principles you espouse.
All you have to do is mess up once and the world will jump on that mistake to convince themselves that you do not have anything that they need. Because of the scrutiny put on you by those who are of the world, you must be careful to make sure that you carefully examine your words before you utter them. Make sure that the words you are about to speak will not bring reproach to the name of Christ. Yes, you may sin and God is able to forgive you of your sins. However, you still need to be careful to ensure that you do not make matters worse.
You must keep your heart pure so that the words that come out of it properly reflect the life you desire to life for the Lord. You live in the world and as such you will see and hear things that do not glorify God. Spend time adding knowledge of the ways of God to your heart is not influenced by evil. The more time you spend drawing closer to God, the harder it will be for you to say something that you will regret latter.