Sabbath, August 16, 2008
Proverbs 16:21-24
The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body. (ESV)
by Leota Stevens
The book of Genesis declares that man was made in God’s image and that God “spoke” the world into existence. Perhaps this is the reason that there is so much instruction in the Bible about the proper use of our words and controlling our tongue. The psalmist underscores the healing and encouraging qualities of the words that are uttered by those who are wise. Our words can heal, or they can injure. We can help someone become better, or we can bring them to bitterness by what we say and how we say it. Wisdom empowers us to speak the way God desires us to speak.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
