"I Didn't' See That Coming!"

“Who ever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.” Proverbs 26:27

This verse begs a question. Who would dig a pit and then forget where he dug it and fall into it? Who would start a stone rolling and not have the sense to get out of the road when it starts rolling back on him? I wouldn’t say this person is the sharpest knife in the drawer. Sounds like a person who is maybe a couple fries short of a “Happy Meal” or possibly someone who could hide his own Easter Eggs.

However Proverbs 26:27 is not a verse teaching us about the perils of losing our short term memory.

The context of the surrounding verses suggest that this pit is being dug for someone else to fall into. The stone that has been sent rolling is supposed to roll onto one who is hated. If we look at the verses adjacent to this one it would seem that the instrument being used as a shovel is the tongue. The power behind the rolling stone is the tongue. The tongue makes a great shovel. Have you noticed that some people have some really big shovels?

How does the tongue dig a pit? Let met list a few from verses 20-28
Whispering vs 20, 22
Quarrelsomeness vs 21
Passionate lips vs 23
Disguised hatred vs 24, 26
Gracious speech hiding seven abominations in the heart vs 25
Through Lying and flattering vs 28

The tongues is being used to hide and disguise hatred. Being used to set someone up so they can be hurt. A hate filled heart is using the tongues as a disguise. The kinds words, gracious words, passionate words are being used to deceive, to ward off suspicion so the unsuspecting person will fall headlong into the pit he has been set up for. But it doesn’t work. Why?

I think verse 27 reminds us of some important principles regarding sin.

Sin deceives.
Sin always destroys those who embrace it.
Sin blinds - that’s why the person falls into his own pit - he’s been blinded by his sin.
Sin controls us we do not control it. We become sin’s slave. John 8:34
Sin carries with it the law of sowing and reaping. Galatians 6:7
Sin always sets in motion the law of unintended consequences vs 27 illustrates that powerfully. He never dreamed when he dug the pit he would fall into it.
Our Sin will find us out. Vs 26 “his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly”. Your Sin will hunt you down.
Sin forgets there is a God in heaven who rules and reigns. See’s the evil and the good.

Much more could be said. But if you want a classic example of vs 27 being played out in real life read the book of Esther chapters 5-6 and pay special attention to a man named Haman.

Esther 5:14 “...and he (Haman) had the gallows made”
Esther 7:10 “...So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai….”

Here are some wonderful verses to end with

“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:16-18 ESV)

Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross. In him we have redemption , forgiveness and freedom from the power, penalty and one day the very presence of sin. We can have this precious gift by grace alone through faith alone, in Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8-10

Sin is not to be toyed with. May we avoid it, resist it and walk in the Spirit in victory each day.

Say What?

Proverbs 18:8
 "The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body."
A gossip is a rumormonger. To gossip means to complain, grumble, i.e., to express discontent in low tones, be grumbling or murmuring. I'm sure you've read about people who do such things.
Gossip - is there anything God’s people try to dress up and make look spiritual more than whispering or gossip. We have all heard the prayer concern, or request that was really just veiled whispering. But in whatever form it appears there is no shortage of people who will listen to it. Enquiring minds really do want to know. Why? Proverbs lays it open for us - because these tidbits of juicy information are delicious. Proverbs says that what is in our hearts will become evidenced by what we say, and it is also true that what is in our hearts will be evidenced by what our ears are tuned to. We live in a society where people want to make everyone's business their business. However, we do so at a very high price. We live in a world where the ears of the public are tuned to gossip. Look at the shows on TV, the magazines that are the top sellers, they are all about gossip. They are all about the juicy, delicious morsels of “dirt” people have on other people. We just can’t seem to get enough of it, so much so that the magazines are put out every week and the TV shows are on every night.
Not sure if you have ever noticed but gossip is hardly ever about good things. We don’t want to know the good things that happen to people or the good things that people do, we want to know about the skeletons in the closet, we want to know the problems, mistakes, and the secrets that people are trying to hide.
I was reading the paper today and skimming through the boring articles and pictures and turned the page and there was an article about a famous TV evangelist caught in a compromising situation, so guess what, I stopped skimming and started reading, I needed (wanted) to know this. This looked absolutely delicious and it was.
I think we would all agree that we should not gossip with our lips, but I wonder how much time we give to thinking about the damage gossip does to us when we listen to it. Proverbs says gossip goes down into the inner parts of the body. Gossip does not just bounce around on the surface it worms its way into our hearts, minds.
I have been given information about someone’s sin or problem and there business has now become my business. I have to deal with this information but what do it do with it. It’s none of my business. God does not give us grace and strength to deal with things that are none of our business. So I fuss and fume, I form opinions, I am disgusted or saddened by what I have just heard. But what do I do with it? Where do I go with it? I have not been informed by this information I have been infected by it. Infected with a virus I do not know how to get rid of. I do not know what to do with it is because it's none of my business. The reality is i shouldn't even know about it. All I can do is think about it and form opinions about it. Suddenly this once delicious meal has taken on a very bad after taste.
Gossip is sweet to the taste but rottenness to the heart and mind. I wonder home many homes, families, churches have people in them who have been infected by gossip. Who treat people with contempt because of gossip they have heard about them. Gossip poisons relationships. Gossip causes us to judge things we should (and actually still) know nothing about. Gossip makes it very hard for the person who has sinned or faltered in some way to find forgiveness and fellowship. So next time you are tempted to gossip or listen to it do that person and yourself a huge favor. . Act in love toward the person they want to “inform” you about. And act in a way that shows you are guarding you heart, turn and walk away. I am not interested in being infected with your poison, no matter how delicious it may appear to be. I have enough trouble dealing with things that are my business without being weighed down by things that do not concern me.
REMEMBER - Love covers a multitude of sins done against us - gossip broadcasts a multitude of sins done against us and everyone else.
REMEMBER - GOSSIP DOES NOT INFORM US IT INFECTS US.

"Got Questions?"

Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
We have all heard it said there is no such thing as a stupid question. I believe that is true. A question simply implies a lack of information or a lack of understanding that needs to be clarified. So asking a question is simply a way of soliciting needed answers to a problem or issue. Having said that let me add this. While there are no stupid questions, there are a seemingly endless supply of stupid answers. These stupid answers tend to happen for the following reasons.
Lack of knowledge of the subject being addressed.
Failing to understand the question.
A lack of courage to give the right answer.
The fear of saying “I don’t know”. Because of this fear, you attempt to answer a question about a subject you know nothing about. Always a bad idea.
All these can contribute to the problem of stupid answers. But I think it would be safe to say that at the top of the list of reasons for stupid answers is simply this. People fail to take the time to think about the question that was asked. “the heart of the righteous ponders how to answer”. The word “ponders” means to weigh or study. It means that between the question and the answer there is a pause, there is time for consideration, time to think, time to mull over the question and the answer. It may be a short pause if the person knows the answer, or it may be a longer period of time if the answer is not readily apparent or more information or study is needed. The righteous person is not simply looking to give “an answer”. They want to give the right answer, an answer that will help, educate, and encourage. They desire to give an answer that is based on truth but also provide an answer that the hearer can understand. How you answer a child’s question will often take more thought than how you may answer the same question asked by an adult. I think far to often we throw out “pat answers” to difficult questions and simply frustrate people. There are some tough questions that are not easily answered. Marriage issues, parenting issues, suffering, evil, etc. These are things that sometimes cause us to ask difficult questions,. Yes, there are always the cliches we can toss out as answers. However these are often just a smoke screen hiding the fact we do not know the real answer. Sometimes these "pat answers" simply reveal we do not care enough about you to really give your question any kind of deep thought or consideration. Parents some times just “brush off” the questions of their children because they are to busy to answer them or don’t know the answers themselves. This just frustrates children , they know what we’re really doing. We have all asked questions and when the answer was given we were left either totally confused, or wondering if they even heard the question. When this happens in the home, it is not to long before the children start taking their questions to the street. Please remember this - There is no shortage of people in this world who would love to answer all our children’s questions about life, God, morality etc. Is that what we want?
The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer. It is not wrong or a sign of weakness or ignorance to say “I don’t know”. It is not wrong to say, “that is a great question, can I get back to you on that? Do you mind if I take some time to think before I answer that question." Who in their right mind is going to say “no, I want you to answer my question without thinking about it”? There is nothing wrong with silence. Silence can in fact be golden. Pondering a question put to us is a way of demonstrating love to the one who asked the question. You are valuable to me and therefore I am not going to take your question lightly. I want to really help you find an answer. So we pray, ponder, and prepare in our hearts how to answer. We do not want to be like the wicked who just pour out evil things, blah, blah, blah. Got questions? they've got answers. There is no shortage of talk in this world, but there is a glaring shortage of truth. The wicked speak now and think later. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” “Where there are many words sin is not lacking.” The wicked love to talk, love to answer questions about things they know nothing about. To them an opinion (their opinion) is as good as the truth. Remember, just because someone is talking does not necessarily mean they know something.
Questions can be intimidating, but usually that intimidation comes for thinking we need answers immediately. It can be very humbling to say “I don’t know” , but humility is a good thing. So don’t be afraid of questions. “the heart of the righteous ponders how to answer.” It may be a friend, or one of your children asking you a question, love them enough to ponder the answer before you give it. Speak from a heart of love. A heart that loves that person enough to give them a thoughtful, truthful and timely answer.
May these words of Solomon guide us as we ponder in our hearts how to answer ...
Ecc 12:9-10 “Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.”

"Don't Shoot the Messenger?"

Proverbs 13:17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
   but a faithful envoy brings healing.
A wicked messenger. We know there are wicked people, see them on the news every night. Murderers, bank robbers, thieves, adulterers, and many other kinds of wickedness exists in our society. However, we do not often associate wickedness with messengers. How can you mess that up? Obviously when this was written there was no postal service or pony express to deliver letters to people. There was no radio communication between military officers to co-ordinate attacks. There were no newspapers to keep people abreast of what was going on in the world. So if a message was to be sent it would be sent by a person verbally in most cases but on occasion it would be written as well. Give so and so this message for me, they put a stamp on his forehead and off he goes. How hard is that? How can that messenger turn into a wicked messenger?
* They can refuse to go.
* They can look like they are going, but stop once they are out of sight of the one who sent them.
* They can go but not give the message.
* They can give it to the wrong person.
* They can give the wrong message.
* They can change the message slightly. They change it so it makes better sense to them.
* They can tell only part of the message. They leave out the parts they think may offend the hearer.
* They can add their own personal opinions and ideas to the message.
* They can take the information and use it for personal gain or advantage.
Obviously this would be disastrous. You think you are getting a message that is true and unaltered and you act upon that information. But your decision was a bad one because it was based on faulty information given to you by this wicked messenger. When you find out what the messenger said was wrong or altered in any way guess what’s going to happen to the messenger. He will find himself in a heap of trouble. That’s why whenever your hear “don’t shoot the messenger” you can be quite certain it is the messenger doing the talking. Maybe that should be changed “don’t shoot the messenger if he’s gets the message right.”
It is one thing to lie or mislead people about earthly things and that is a serious matter. But what about those of us who have been given a message concerning eternal matters. Heaven and Hell. The gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said Go and tell this message. Are we doing it? Have we altered it in any way? Are we trying to make it more palatable to the hearers by watering it down so as not to offend anyone. If they believe what we tell them, is it a gospel that will save them. Is there a cross, repentance, substitution, holiness, is the message “Christ died for our sins…”? Is Christ at the center of our message? Sadly today there are many who are preaching a message that is popular but not one that saves. How great is that wickedness?

a faithful envoy brings healing. Faithful to the message. Say this and we say it. It may not be popular, but if you will believe the gospel of Jesus Christ you will be saved. The number one character trait of a messenger is to be faithful to the message. He does not have to be clever, funny, or good looking he just has to tell it like it is.
As we think about this obviously the gospel is a very important illustration of this principle in Proverbs. But it applies in all areas of our lives. What kind of messenger am I in everyday life. When people see me coming what are they expecting to hear? What kind of information am I known to give most often? Do the messages of life I give to others bring healing, are they uplifting and encouraging but most importantly are they true? There may be hard things that need to be said but they are given not to hurt but to heal. Faithfulness does not mean our message never hurts but it is given to bring healing. Faithfulness means our message is given in love for the good of the hearer. When people see us coming may they run to us not away from us. They will do this if they know we are faithful messengers. They will do this if they know we love them. They will run away if they know our words cannot be trusted or are just words that wound but never heal, words that are not based on truth but opinion, bringing a message meant to tear others down not build them up. We all know people that when you see them coming you know all you’re going to hear is bad news and probably wrong news about other people. May we purpose in our hearts not to be such a person. May we be found faithful messengers that bring truth and healing to our families and our churches. Where ever we go our may our words be true, loving, kind and faithful to what God would have us say. May we boldly, truthfully and lovingly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight O God.”

"Ready - Fire - Aim"

“Ready, Fire, Aim.” You will never find these instructions in the manual that comes with a firearm. The reasons are obvious. The results would be disastrous. Someone would eventually get seriously hurt. Learning how to aim is the key to using a firearm and it is also the key to using our words.
I have never done this, and never will, but if I were to carry around a tape recorder with me all day I wonder what my words would sound like. How many of my words just shot out of my mouth with little thought or aim given to them? Proverbs gives us a wonderful word picture to help us to use our tongues properly. So no one gets hurt.

Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

Apples of gold in settings of silver, that is a beautiful table setting. Pleasant to the eyes. Solomon compares that to words fitly or rightly spoken.
There is something very beautiful about the right word at the right time isn’t there. We’ve all been victims of people trying help and all they have done is hurt. They fired but forgot to aim. And we have all been the recipient of that right word, that fitting word and know how much it meant to us.

• A word fitly spoken at the graveside of a loved one is a memorable thing.
• A word fitly spoken to that teenager whose heart has been broken is a precious thing.
• A word fitly spoken to those who need a loving rebuke is a valuable thing.
• A word fitly spoken is a word that has been chosen with a great deal of thought and preparation.
• A word fitly spoken is a word spoken with the right attitude, the proper tone and at the right time.

Shooting from the hip seldom brings images of apples of Gold in settings of silver. It usually conjures up images of a train wreck. The Apostle Peter was never at a loss for words, and on one occasion it even tells us in Mark’s Gospel that Peter spoke and the only reason he spoke was because he didn’t know what to say. That's the equivalent of saying I'm not sure where to aim so I'm just going to start shooting. It might be wise to turn off the tape recorder before you start. Jesus tell us in Matthew 12:36 something that should make us all reach for the duck tape "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak," with that in mind we should listen to this great counsel from Ecclesiastes

12: 9 - 10 “Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.”

Proverbs reminds us to learn to choose our words thoughtfully , especially in tense, emotional settings. Think about what would encourage, and uplift. Often I have found that a few words can speak volumes. We cannot take our words back once they are said. Therefore, seek to find right words, fitting words, and if you can’t find them and don’t know what to say ( can't get the aim right) that’s ok. Take your hand off the trigger. (Bite your tongue) Believe it or not, sometimes our hurting friends, or our kids, don’t need our words, they just need us put an arm around them and be quiet. Remember, Silence can be golden as well.

"You Have the Right to Remain Silent."

It puzzles me, in an age where appearance is everything , why more people have not caught on to the biblical way of improving their perceived intelligence. It is found in Proverbs…

17:28 “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

Now granted, being considered wise and deemed intelligent is not the same as being wise and intelligent, but we all have to start somewhere. It is better than opening our mouths and removing any doubt whatsoever.

There are many things that can be hidden in silence. For example, it is amazing how smart I can appear in a room full of well educated people when I let them do all the talking. The conversation is intriguing, the subject complicated, and a couple of well timed nods of agreement, or the furrowed brow of one in deep thought can give the appearance of intelligence and comprehension. It hides the fact that I’m just trying to figure why my watch stopped working, is it broken or does it need a new battery. Where do you buy batteries for a watch like this? I don’t have a clue what they are talking about, but that all gets hidden in the silence.
A couple helpful hints for hiding ignorance... from someone with a lot to hide.

1. When the meeting is over GET OUT! Get to the battery store before it closes.
   
2. “Stop blogging”! Unless it's already to late.
   

I think the flip side of this verse points to the path of true wisdom and real intelligence. It is the reason fools never find it. Silence and closed lips need to be accompanied by listening ears. James says “be swift to hear and slow to speak…” Jesus said "he that has ears to hear, let him hear..." I have found in my own experience that it is impossible to listen and talk at the same time. I need to learn how to listen, to pay attention. When my lips are moving I am not learning. The greatest need I have in my life is to listen to God ...to be still and know that I am NOT God. I need to listen to that “still small voice”. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give others is a listening ear. There is a time to speak and a time to listen. May God grant us the daily wisdom to know what time it is. If we want to be truly wise and intelligent, we need to exercise our rights...

We have the right to remain silent - let's use it.

Here are some encouraging words from James

James 1:19-25 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

"Short Fuse"

When I was a young teenager my brother and I somehow “acquired” a large supply of firecrackers. It so happened that the farm we lived on also had a large supply of apple trees. So we began to think ...firecrackers …..apples….. firecrackers ….. apples ... hmmmm what could we do. (Devious minds were at work). We soon discovered that if you put a firecracker in an apple it makes a great little apple grenade. So we began to assemble an arsenal of loaded apples. Rotten apples worked especially well. How we enjoyed lobbing these “apple bombs” at the unsuspecting friends we had invited up for target practice. The looks on their faces when those apples exploded - “priceless”. As I said, devious minds were at work, but devious minds are not always the brightest minds on the planet. On one occasion I had lit the fuse on one of my apple bombs. I held it so it would burn a bit then then tossed it but nothing happened. I went and got it and discovered that it had burned down to the top of the firecracker and went out. It was still good it just needed to be relit. (caution genius at work) So I picked it up, got real close so I could see the fuse , lit the match, touched the fuse and “BOOM” right In my face. I suddenly began to have some empathy for my former friends. Fortunately God preserves the simple and I wasn’t hurt. But I got a new appreciation for the term “short fuse”. I realized that when someone is described as having a short fuse it’s not a good thing. It can get real messy.

Proverbs talks about the dangers of short fuses. Hot tempered short fused people have destroyed countless relationships, families, marriages, children and friends. We have all been on both ends of the short fuse. We have watched friends or a family member blow up in our face and we have blown up in their faces as well.

Proverbs 16:32 “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

Slow to anger = long fuse. How do we do that? “He who rules his spirit …” Self control. The problem is that for short fused people everyone else rules their spirit. They become like the people they are around. He yelled at me, I yell back. People yank our chain and off we go. They control us. We need to learn to respond to people instead of just react to them. We need to be controlled by a power greater than ourselves. We need to be filled with the Spirit of God

Eph. 5:18. "....Be constantly be being filled with the Spirit"

Then we can do what Proverbs 15:1 tells us “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

A soft answer is a controlled answer. The air may be hot and the temperature is rising are you going to be controlled by the temperature (thermometer) or are you going to control the temperature (thermostat). A soft answer comes from someone with a long fuse, a Spirit controlled, long-suffering person. A harsh word stirs up anger and we all know that is true. When someone yells at me and I yell back things don’t calm down, they blow up. Who is ruling your spirit today? Who is in control of you? You will know as soon as your fuse is lit. How long did it take to blow up? Short fuse =self - Long fuse= the Spirit.

Here are some great verses to encourage you in this battle.

Gal 5:16- 23 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, a you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

"Can You Keep a Secret?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Ever had someone ask you that? All of a sudden your heart starts to beat faster, your eyes get wider, your ears are tingling. What are they going to tell me, is it good news, bad news, juicy news. Yes I can keep a secret, tell me quick before I explode.
Who at some point in their life has not had to deal with the awesome responsibility of keeping a secret. When we are confided in by that friend what a test of character we are being confronted with. This is a juicy bit of information I could use to bolster my career by making this person look bad. I could use it to tear this person down or I could use it to build my self up. Or out of love and respect for this person I can conceal the matter. Hide it in my heart. Guard it with my lips. Revealing vs concealing. What to do, what to do? This verse may help you decide. Pro 11:13 A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

Proverbs has much to say about how we deal with others especially how we deal with the information other people tell us in confidence.

Pro 20:19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.
Pro 25:9 = Debate your case with your neighbor himself, and do not disclose the secret to another;
Pro 26:20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
Pro 26:21 = As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
Pro 26:22 = The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body.
Pro 14:5 = A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will utter lies.

Tale bearers are flatterers – they say things to your face they would never say behind your back – they say them to get you to bear your soul and then they reveals your secrets – Solomon’s advice – do not associate with them 20:19
There a things we go through in our relationships as friends, family, husband & wife that should never go beyond those boundaries. They should be kept between the two parties involved. Sign of friendship – sign of a good marriage – problems are solved between the two people and no one needs to know the details. 25:9
Talebearers are people who infect offices, churches, homes with strife. They are like charcoal to a burning fire – they keep things going. The only way to eliminate the strife is to get rid of them. When they go the strife ceases. 26:20
Slander may be sport to tale-bearers, but it is death to those whom they abuse. We can commit murder with the tongue as well as with the hand. The worst evil you can do a man is to injure his character. The world for the most part believes that where there is smoke there is fire, and what everybody says must be true. 26:22

"Gossips of both genders, give up the shameful trade of tale bearing; don't be the devil's bellows any longer to blow up the fire of strife.. Praise God more, and blame neighbors less. Any goose can cackle, any fly can find out a sore place, any empty barrel can give forth sound, any briar can tear a man's flesh. Think much, but say little; be quick at work and slow at talk; and, above all, ask the great Lord to set a watch over your lips.” Spurgeon

Guard that secret a friend has told you in confidence.
Avoid those who make a sport out of spreading lies, spreading gossip, causing strife and discord. You may find that if you do this you will be out of the loop but the bible says that the loop you were in was a noose and if you are not careful it will strangle you.

Every time you make a choice, you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And, taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures and with itself. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other. ... C. S. Lewis

Choose to conceal that which will only hurt others
Choose to be a person of character
Choose to be a person in whom people can confide
Choose to be like Jesus – Live like Jesus not only by what we say but in what we don’t say.

Let me leave you with a question – Can you keep a secret?

"Stick out Your Tongue"

When I used to go to the doctor as a young boy he would begin the examination by telling me to stick out my tongue. I wasn't sure why, maybe it was a way to check my hearing. "He stuck out his tongue, so his hearing is fine." What I didn't know then (but I do now) is that doctors know the tongue reveals a great deal about a person's physical health.
What we learn from the Bible is that the tongue is also a great indicator of our spiritual health. Therefore the Bible has a great deal to say about how we use our tongue.
James chapter three is a great passage that deals with the tongue. The power of the tongue, the inability of man to tame the tongue are some of the things covered. James also says the tongue acts in our lives the same way a rudder acts on a boat. It is small in comparison to the size of the ship, but it determines the direction of the entire vessel. So it is true in our lives. A person's whole reputation hinges on the tongue. The book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom and warnings surrounding our talk. Here are some verses to ponder about the tongue from Proverbs chapter 10

11-14 "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense. The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near."

18-21 "The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense."

31-32 "The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse."

Do you want to know what is going on in a person's heart? "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks". If you want to know the difference between a foolish person and a wise person, the tongue will tell the story. How is your spiritual health? Not sure. Stick out your tongue and have a listen.
David prayed what we all need to pray daily in Psalm 141:3

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"

"You're Going to do What? Pro. 27:1

Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”
Most of us like to brag about our accomplishments, especially the ones we haven’t actually accomplished yet. The reality is what we think we can do (tomorrow) and what we are able or willing to do (when tomorrow gets here) are usually a long way apart. We are amazing people in our tomorrows. There are no interruptions, everything goes like we planned, people co-operate, the traffic lights always turn green when we get there. Tomorrow, it’s a wonderful place.
While we all like to boast about our tomorrows, the truth is, none of us have ever lived there. We all live in that place called today, and the problem with today is there are to many interruptions, people aren’t co-operating, nothing is going like I planned, and I’ve never seen so many red lights.
Listen to James 4:13 - 17 ”Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. … Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
Let’s think about tomorrow...
Tomorrow is a procrastinators paradise
For the procrastinator tomorrow’s schedule fills up in a hurry. We have heard the saying “never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” well the procrastinators slogan is “never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.” The problem is that when we put things off they tend to pile up. If you take five “todays” worth of work and try to cram it into one tomorrow, it doesn’t fit; at least that’s what my teachers in college kept telling me. I said “it was multi-tasking”, they said “it was a mess”. I said “it was to much work”, they said “it was to little effort”. And so on. They did not seem to care about that place I longingly and lovingly referred to as tomorrow. Imagine that!
It is interesting if you listen to most motivational speakers all they are trying to do is to get people who are spinning their wheels in yesterday or tomorrow to face the responsibilities and opportunities of today. Stop procrastinating, get out of your chair, make a decision and do something, NOW!
Tomorrow is the lazy mans refuge
Whenever the lazy man is confronted with his laziness, he always runs to his favorite hiding place - tomorrow. For the lazy person, tomorrow is a very present help in time of trouble.
Tomorrow is where we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.
If people would only judge me based on my projected performance in my tomorrows, I wouldn’t look like such a - well, whatever.. I would love for you to see the real me. Yes, I realize I just yelled at you a few minutes ago, but today has not been a good day. What are you doing tomorrow?
Tomorrow will haunt the condemned forever
Hell is going to be full of people who were going to come to Christ tomorrow. That is why the bible always speaks of salvation with one day in mind. TODAY is the day of salvation Hebrews 4.
Tomorrow is where the heart shows it’s true colors.
The heart knows the right thing to do. How do we know that? Because of what it is promising to do tomorrow. It knows what needs to be done. That’s why James says if we “know to do good and do not do it, it is sin.” The heart knows what it should do and promises to do it tomorrow instead of today. God says that is unacceptable. Promising to do what is right tomorrow condemns us. We are giving testimony that we are are not ignorant but rather unwilling to obey God today. We deceive ourselves into believing tomorrow will be different. However, the reality is, if I am not willing to do something today, that same unwillingness, those same habit patterns follow me into tomorrow.
“Do not boast about tomorrow…” If you know what to do, do it today.
Listen to Proverbs 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
Reality is, I don’t do all that well in my todays. Today is hard, I need an escape. I want to give my wife hope, my children something to look forward to, I want to convince my boss not to fire me, so I boast about tomorrow……! I promise tomorrow..., I’ll do better tomorrow..., “we’ll start the day tomorrow with a song or two…” It will be great! Lets face it - there are a couple reasons the Bible says “Do not boast about tomorrow…”
1. No one knows what a day will bring forth
2. No one believes you anyway.
The wonderful truth is that God gives us grace and and strength for today not tomorrow. God has promised those who know Him a glorious future and a bright hope with Him for eternity, but He has not promised us tomorrow. So do not boast about tomorrow, but rather trust in God’s wisdom and power to accomplish what he wants us to accomplish today for His glory. It’s not what we are going to do that matters, it’s what we are doing that matters for eternity. Our tomorrows are in God’s hand, leave them there and trust Him and serve Him today.
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, …”
Phil. 4:13 “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” TODAY.