Speak No Evil

An ungodly man [or woman] digs up evil,And it is on his lips like a burning fire.

Proverbs 16:27 (NKJV)

The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Scoundrels hunt for scandal; their words are a destructive blaze.”

Here we look at the damage that the war of words can bring. As children of God, we must honestly look at the picture of what God is calling ungodly behavior.

It’s looking for dirt on others. Are you ever eager to hear a bad report about someone else? Do you watch the scandal shows or read the scandal papers? If you hear of the sin of someone, do you ever find an inner satisfaction? That’s bad.

Ungodly behavior is spreading the bad news. Are you eager to tell someone else what you know or hear even if you suspect it’s only half true? Our proverb today says evil is on an ungodly person’s lips like a burning fire.

James 3:6 says, “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature [life], and it is set on fire by hell” (NKJV).

So what do we do when we hear a bad report about someone, especially if it’s a brother or a sister in the Lord? The next question is, what should we do?

Let me tell you: the first and sometimes the last person we should ever speak to about it is God himself. We can either be part of the problem, or we can be part of the solution by praying, because “love covers . . . a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8, NIV).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

James 3:9-11, 13 gives us firm warning and instruction about words. We need to post it on our phones and computer screens. Please read the words carefully and prayerfully. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? . . . Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (NIV).

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 3:3–4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27