Asking For Trouble

Fools get into constant quarrels;they are asking for a beating.The mouths of fools are their ruin;their lips get them into trouble.

Proverbs 18:6-7

When we were kids we used to say, “He’s cruisin’ for a bruisin’,” “He’s shooting off his mouth,” or, “He’s asking for trouble.”

The bottom line here is that this type of fool is someone who causes others to get agitated. He riles them up, picks on them, offends them, and over all is hard to be around. Now before we start thinking of all the people we know who do that, let’s try the shoe on ourselves first.

Moms, are there times when you ride one of your kids’ cases? This means for some reason you’re frustrated with them. Maybe you’ve had a few heated discussions, and now they just can’t do anything right. Mom, you’ve got a chip on your shoulder. This wedge is just going to get deeper if you don’t make peace with this. Would you go to the Cross? Would you go in your room, shut your door, and talk it out with God? Pray it out and lay it down.

Are you argumentative? Maybe it’s with your husband, arguing over money or past hurts or who’s supposed to take out the garbage; or with your mother, still arguing, bristling over little things she says; or it’s someone at work and you argue over religion. Just log these words in one more time in your mind: “Fools get into constant quarrels. Their lips get them into trouble.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Abraham Lincoln said, “No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention.” In our marriages, friendships, and with our kids, we have to pick our battles. Remember: some hills are not worth fighting over. Are you at odds with your teen about the style of her hair or your sister about who inherits Mom’s pearl earrings? If they get their way, no one is going to die. These things involve no moral compromise or serious damage. Reserve your resolve for things that will affect bigger issues. And when you do need to stand your ground, do it for love’s sake, honoring God and showing grace in the process.

One Year Bible Reading

2 Kings 17:1–18:12; Acts 20:1-38; Psalm 148:1-14; Proverbs 18:6-7