Proverbs 12:23-25 – Speak, Act, Feel
Knowledge is a gift of God to be used wisely. Certainly when it comes to speaking of Christ and His work on the cross, or telling of the good things God has done for us, we are not to keep silent. But there are many truths found in God’s Word, that we wouldn’t want to pour out to someone all in the one go. People need time to take things in. We should not tell about what we know because it makes us look more intelligent, instead of a real desire to help someone else. Circumstances sometimes require us to keep silent. Is this lying? No, for we are not always obliged to tell everyone the whole truth. We must not lie, but we do not need to speak to everyone all that we know all the time. This is exactly what the fool does.
In verse 24 Solomon says again that diligence, hard, faithful work, is the ordinary path to advancement. Do you have to be a Christian to work hard? No, many unbelievers work very hard, and sadly, many Christians are lazy. But whether they admit it or not, when anyone works hard they are obeying God in that area. Now, they may not have the right motives – it may not be true obedience, but they are, whether they like it or not, following God’s rules.
Verse 25 speaks of something we can all relate too. Who hasn’t had an anxious or heavy heart at some point? Who hasn’t been encouraged by the kind words of a friend? But what happens when we can’t think of what to say? Often just our presence can be a comfort or our prayers with and for them. God’s Word is full of comfort to the anxious and sad, and as we read it we can mark promises or verses that could help us or others in hard times. We can then “comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)
Questions
- What is the path to advancement?
- How can we comfort other people?
Prayer Points
- Pray for those struggling with grief, sickness, or heavy burdens.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.