1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife…
9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter separates close friends…
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out…
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity…
19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction…
27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. 28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
REFLECTION:
These verses admonish us not to dispute, and the secret to calm disputes is to love each other. In love, we are willing to forgive those who have offended us. When arguing with others with resentment, it is easy for people to single out all the other’s mistakes, but love will silence one’s mouth and bear the other’s faults patiently. Therefore, we must not count the evil of people when we get along with people, and strive to follow the teachings God gave us in 1 Corinthians 13. Although this is not easy to do, we must do our best. Also focus the discussion on the matter, and don’t include irrelevant things or past issues into the argument. Since we want to grow into the likeness of Christ, we should use God’s power to forgive people for their past sins. In addition, we should also understand the benefits of “silence is gold”: if there is nothing worth talking about or useless in saying, silence is the best practice. In silence, you will pay more attention to listening and learning, and you will be wiser to distinguish right from wrong and discern everything.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to increase your mental strength so that you can be more patient and tolerant. When you get along with others, you will see more of the strengths of others instead of focusing on their faults. Pray that God will give you the wisdom to speak appropriately, and you can speak more encouraging and edifying words that are like apples of gold in a setting of silver, and you can also understand when to remain silent to benefit others.
1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit. 3 Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established…
9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps…
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
REFLECTION:
“The answer of the tongue is from the Lord,” which means man proposes but God disposes, and the final result of our plan is in the hands of God. But with that said, why should we plan? In fact, when doing God’s will, we must match our efforts with God’s management. He wants us to think for ourselves, seek the opinions of others, and make plans. Of course, the result is all in Him, and the plan is just to help us act in God’s way. Since you live for God, you should ask Him to show you how to plan, and then rely on Him to do what you planned. Some people did not really entrust what they did to God, but temporarily handed over their own affairs to God to manage them. When the situation was different from what they expected, they took over it; some people did not work hard at all. They used “commit to God” as an excuse for laziness and questioned why they were not successful. We must maintain a wise balance between “trusting God and relying on Him in everything” and “working hard and doing our part in everything”. Think about the hard work you are doing now. Have you fully entrusted it to God?
PRAYER:
Ask God to guide your steps so that you can be led by Him in everything; ask God to give you wisdom so that you can maintain a good balance between “working hard” and “committing to God”. You can do your best, and at the same time you can entrust the results to God, without worrying or thinking you are always right, knowing that everything has God’s good will.
1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
REFLECTION:
Have you ever tried to argue with people softly? In a conflict, if you insist on responding with a gentle attitude, others will not easily quarrel with you irrationally. On the other hand, perverse and violent words often arouse the other side’s bad words, and can also break the hearts of both parties in the quarrel. If you want to eliminate anger and seek peace, you must have a wise heart and use gentle words to edify people. Sometimes God seems to allow evil to run rampant in this world, and we may even wonder whether God notices these things, but God clearly sees everything that happens in the world, including man’s evil deeds and the most secret motives that contribute to it. God is not an indifferent bystander, He not only cares for us, but also works justice in this world. God has His own time, and sometimes we may not see Him at work, but we should never lose heart. One day, God will eliminate evil and punish the wicked; He will also demonstrate justice and reward those who do His will.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you wisdom and peace of mind, and a gentle tongue, so that what you say can edify people. Pray for God to strengthen your faith, so that you can understand that the righteous God looks at everything that happens in the world. He even knows the most secret motive in everyone’s heart. All people are naked and exposed to the eyes of God, with nowhere to hide. God’s justice will be manifested, the wicked will be punished, and the righteous will be rewarded by Him.
