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. — Proverbs 10:11-12

Words command action, evoke emotion and paint images; but what they paint, evoke is up to the person speaking them. All of our words strung together present a message. What message do your words bring to those who hear them?

Like a fountain quenches thirst, the words of the righteous give life to those who hear. In contrast, Proverbs warns about the destruction of the words of the wicked. Words carry weight. As much as we try to say that words don’t damage us, they stick around longer than we would like to admit.

As Christ followers our words are meant to bring life. But how often, riddled by our own selfish motives, do our we choose destructive words? Caught in the trap of comparison, when is the last time you cut someone down to a friend to make yourself feel better? Fueled by frustration, when is the last time you made a biting comment to a coworker?

Pursuing righteousness is not easy. Upholding a holy lifestyle seems impossible, but we are to strive to be like Jesus in every moment and that means choosing words that bring life. Choosing kindness in times of frustration, humility even if you think you’ve done all the work to deserve the credit, forgiveness when someone hurts you again.

We carry the greatest message of all. We hold the story of the One Who Saves, a story of hope and redemption. Don’t let destructive words darken the light that we, as Christians, are called to bring.

As you reflect on the message in your words consider:

1. What weight do your words carry? Are they life-giving or destructive?
2. Who is affected by your words? Is there anyone that you need to apologize to for speaking destructive words towards?
3. Who is one person that you could share God’s truth with this week?

In a world that slumps with the weight of hate there is hope. God’s love bears the answer that our lost world needs. As you go about your day, may your words bring the joy that is needed to bring our world back to life.

Proverbs 15:22-24

Each day we are faced with decisions of all shapes and sizes. Some seem small like what to eat for lunch or how to style your hair or which chair to sit in at the meeting. Others carry a life changing weight like the choice to move on from a relationship or answering the call to switch careers or responding to a relationship with Jesus.

No matter the true size of the decision, the choice cana feel daunting and overwhelming. As you consider altering your course, Proverbs advises us to seek counsel and act with prudence.

22 Without counsel plans fail,  

but with many advisers they succeed.

23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,

and a word in season, how good it is!

24 The path of life leads upward for the prudent,

that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.

In my life, my counsel comes a group of people that I consider to be a board of directors to my life. These are the people that I give permission to be totally transparent in their assessments of the situation. They come from different areas of my life and compromise a good sample of my journey.

Around my table are my small group leader, three of my closest friends, my mom, one of my trusted colleagues and one of my best friends’ husband. Each person represents a different perspective, but all together they make up a complete view of my life.

Who’s on your board and at your table? Who are you giving the space to influence the course of your path? Here are the 5 people that you should invite into your decisions.

• A Family Member (Someone who knows your roots and has always been there)
• An Industry Mentor (Someone who’s ahead of you)
• A Spiritual Mentor (Someone who pushes you spiritually)
• A Brutally Honest Friend (Someone who has been in the thick of life with you)
• A Friend of a Different Gender (Someone who cares about you and brings a different perspective. Let’s face it: guys and girls just think differently.)

Gather those whom you trust and present your options. Prepare your heart to hear all sides and ask God for to hear clearly the counsel that comes from Him. Ultimately whatever you undertake is up to you, but with God’s guidance and a wise board of directors helping you act with prudence you will be on the upward path.

Proverbs 14:24-25

A life is marked by the actions taken within it. In every moment we have a choice; to step with wisdom or to follow foolishness. Proverbs repeatedly reminds us that foolishness brings destruction, associating it with folly.

24 The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly.

In architecture a folly is a structure that is costly to build, but serves no practical use. An example would be a large statue placed in a garden; pretty to look at, but forget about it sheltering you from a storm. To live a life riddled of folly, or senselessness as webster’s defines it,  is to denounce wisdom. A foolish man marked by folly heads towards failure.

As the wise seek more, their wisdom accumulates adding to their life. The wise are crowned, or marked with blessings, because of the value that their wisdom adds. Those that use their wisdom with their wealth expand their impact as they honor God.

25 A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.

Where wisdom resides, so does truth. As Christians, we hold The Truth that can set the world free. The Gospel of Jesus Christ holds an eternal weight, heavy enough to pardon sin and save lives. Knowing The Truth is not enough, we have the duty to witness and save lives. As Christians we have a responsibility to take The Good News to those who are lost: our friends, our neighbors, our family members.

Today walk in wisdom, push away from folly, disown deceit, and share The Truth that saves.

Proverbs 13: 19-20

19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

Our society is on a constant quest for fulfillment. We all house strong desires for happiness and seek to find that which will quench those desires. As we navigate trying to find the next source of satisfaction, proverbs warns us on what that can lead to. True happiness is found when we pursue God and walk in his ways; only when we do this will our soul be completely satisfied.  Many other things draw us towards pleasure and tease at fulfillment, but these temporary fixes for carnal desires. In these fixes we are bound to the enticing sin that eventually leads to our ruin. Those in the midst of this sin’s grasp hate anything that pull them towards correction and in foolishness deny God’s alternative.

20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

When you were younger you were probably at some point advised about who to make friends with. Some of us incessantly heard phrases like “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future” or “You are who you hang around”?

Like those wise voices, Proverbs also advises us to take a look at who we are walking with. Those that we surround ourselves with heavily impact our lives. Good influences direct our ways, encourage our walks, and keep our paths straight. Just as a good companion can lead us, so can a bad companion. Those who walk with the foolish come to do foolish things and so comes their demise.

As you look back, how have the people around you influenced you? Is there someone that helped you steer away from foolishness? Today, who are you choosing to surround yourself with and what direction are they pulling you in? Is there a friendship or relationship that you need to add boundaries to? Can you identify someone near your circle that is straying away from the right path? What can you do today to help influence them to move in the correct direction?

Take time to thank someone today that helped influence who you are or maybe someone that helped you change your direction in the past. Pray for God to identify who you need to surround yourself with and give you the strength to let go of relationships that may be toxic.