Ecclesiastes 12:10

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent. Proverbs 17:28       You need to say something.  That’s what we think. A person makes a jab. An accusation is hurled at us. We are questioned. It’s human nature to want to defend ourselves, yet that can be at times the worst thing we can do.   Years ago, I had a mentor tell me “Never get in a mudsling contest with a pig, they love it and you just end up getting dirty.”  We don’t have to respond to everything. Sometimes the best thing we can say is nothing at all.   Lots of the talk we get into is not near as productive as we think. Silence may we more effective than we can imagine. Think about how Jesus used it (John 8:6, Mark 14:61). Maybe we should learn to use it as well.

  Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed. Proverbs 15:22      If you don’t listen to others, you may be hurting yourself.   We tend to think of our own opinions highly, after all, they are ours. Yet that tendency might be causing more frustration than we realize. Others can see things we can’t. They can see the gaps and holes in our reasoning. They may have perspective we don’t. That is why is important to not just rely on ourselves when it comes to planning.   When the world tells us to “don’t let anyone tell you what to do” it might be setting us up for failure. Just because you are in charge doesn’t mean that you can see it all. That is why it is a good idea to get as much input as you can when you are making a plan. You might not use it all but it might be the thing that saves it all 

He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be reckoned a curse to him. Proverbs 27:14     It isn’t always what you do, it is when you do it.   This proverb rather humorously demonstrates that point. It doesn’t matter what you are saying to a person, if you do wake him up early in the morning, he not going to appreciate it.   This is good advice in dealing with people. Some things might need to be said but we also need to consider the circumstance of when we are saying them.  They will affect greatly the way the message is received. For example, an important announcement made when everyone has a foot out the door will most likely be missed by people. Or a minor critique made to a person during a major crisis will be seen as much more insulting than it was.  Timing is everything!   If we want a message to be received well, we must consider when we say it!

In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23     James Alber wrote his own epitaph: He slept beneath the moon, He basked beneath the sun; He lived a life of going-to-do, And died with nothing done.  “Going to do” is a very real problem.  If something is “going to be” done chances are it never will be. Too many lives are stymied by “going to do”. Too many churches are stagnant because of “going to do”. Too many people will be lost eternally because of “going to do”.     This proverb tells us a very truth. Talk isn’t cheap, it leads to poverty. Doing nothing is the quickest way to failure. If you want success, you must do something. Labor, work, effort, and action make things better. Just talking about it does nothing.     What do you want to do in the New Year? Better asked, what are you doing to make that happen?