Is your mouth a blessing or curse?

Proverbs 11:5-11

The righteousness of the innocent levels their way,

but wickedness of the wicked makes them fall.

6 The righteousness of the upright rescues them,

but the treacherous are trapped by their own intrigues.

7 When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes;

what he hopes for from evil comes to nothing.

8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,

and the wicked comes to take his place.

9 With his mouth the hypocrite can ruin his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;

and when the wicked perish, there is joy.

11 By the blessing of the upright, a city is raised up;

but the words of the wicked tear it down.

Some days I feel like Proverbs is very repetitive. It speaks over and over about the righteous and the wicked. The righteous live, the wicked perish. If you follow the ways of Adonai blessings will come. Over and over it states that in order for LIFE we simply need to follow the path of Adonai.

Then, in the middle of all of the repetitive pieces, verse nine comes:

With his mouth the hypocrite can ruin his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

I admit that my mouth can "run" at times. Sometimes I just say too much. I need to be careful that I speak only LIFE. I need to speak Truth, but it needs to be life filled. That is not easy to do. Sometimes the Truth hurts and feels like the person speaking is a hypocrite. Lord, use my words to bring Your wisdom and understanding to those around me. Use my words to bring a blessing, not a curse.

Reading verses ten and eleven I want us to recognize that even cities are affected by righteousness and evil. When evil begins to prevail, the city will fall apart. A city can be "raised up" if it follows the blessing of the upright. Choose wisely the city you live in.

Proverbs is all about choosing wisely. Scenarios are presented and wisdom given - the reader has the opportunity to choose LIFE.

Love and blessings,

Rose

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