Proverbs 15:4
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
We have the ability to be a tree of life for someone today. To be an encouragement. We also have the ability to tear someone down today.
We can bless, or we can curse.
Key to joy is a tender heart towards weakness. Jesus is tender toward us in our weakness. What a perfect model to follow. Who were the people along the way most inspiring for you to change for the better? Those who were harsh on you with many words, or those who were gentle with few words?
It is generally the gentle, quiet spirit speaking with the still small voice that most inspires and convicts us. May we be the same for others. Jesus said he was gentle and lowly in heart. That’s why so many people felt comfortable to come to Him. They felt extremely safe. Anyone who feels judged or unsafe at all will not look to change, no matter what their logic may tell them they need to do. They will. most likely, simply not have the capacity for it.
Do you see how inspiring we can each be by actually backing off a little? “Lowly in heart” probably does not tell as many people as possible in a day what is wrong with them. Lowly in heart is inviting, and asks thoughtful questions to help the other in self-discovery of what is true. That is way more effective than being told what is true, tho there may be times for that as well.
Proverbs 15:12
A mocker does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.
Check yourself to see if there are any struggles in your life you have not sought wisdom on. Some of us has have struggled with something for years, yet have not gone to anyone for help, least of all YHWH.
Why not?
Well, we don’t really want to get better when it comes down to it. There can be many reasons, but fear is at the root of these reasons–fear of change, fear of living without this thing that has become part of my everyday life (part of me), fear of the work that I must do to kill it…so in a sense, we mock. We become a mocker of what is true and good.
We don’t really want better, we merely wish it would happen automatically to us with no cost. Well there is cost, but the reward outweighs it. Always. The cost of becoming a musician for example is not small, but the reward of writing and playing music far outweighs the price of lessons, an instrument, or practice time.
Matthew 15:8-9
These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.
If our worship of God or our work for Him is not from the sincerity of our heart, it is worthless. He does not want it. I think He might actually flush it down a huge cosmic toilet somewhere.
The religious leaders here were pushing rabbis’ teachings as if they were law and must be obeyed. Conversely, all we want to do is push people to love Jesus more everyday thru getting to know Him, and then we are confident you will automatically do what He wants you to do out of authentic desire. To know Him is to love Him.
May we never teach, as law, mere human precepts.