“Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” Proverbs 15: 22
I think this verse talks about being stubborn; about having tunnel vision…you know, the “my way or the highway” kind of person; people who are locked into one way of thinking. These people are likely to miss the right opportunities or the right road because they have closed their minds to any new options. This kind of connects with what we discussed in Proverbs 13 – We should seek advice from older and wiser people because they’ve experienced much in life—and have succeeded. We need help from those who can enlarge our vision and broaden our perspective. We need to build a network of these advisers. The key is to be open to new things or ideas, and be willing to really weigh and think about their suggestions. If we do this, we’re more likely to succeed in life.
“The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.” Proverbs 15: 28
How many times has God warned us in reference to the tongue? We must THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK. This verse tells us that the wicked tend to spurt out anything coming to their minds because they really don’t care about the effect their words have on others. That’s sad, that’s really sad… but if you think about this verse, isn’t that what Solomon is really saying? We need to carefully plan our words, so when we speak there isn’t a chance of impacting someone negatively. This is harder for some than others. For example, I’m a very bold person- I tend to tell it like it is. My husband is constantly telling me that even though I am telling the truth, sometimes I need to put a glove on (so to speak) before I punch them with the truth! Does that make sense? I don’t speak evil, but for some people I can definitely soften the truth. I think I’m trying to say that I need to be a little more diplomatic. I’ve come a long way with that, but I still have quite a way to go. So, I will continue to work on that.
“Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.” Proverbs 15: 33
Let’s look at the last part of that verse…”humility precedes honor.” In other words, humility opens the door or opens the way for Him to honor us! I think half the battle in solving problems is our attitude. I just had a really good idea…
We’ve just finished Proverbs 15, and next week I am going to post about humility. Trust me, I understand the whole ‘humility’ concept! So have a great weekend. See ya next week!
