“A
soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1
There is an old adage that says “You can catch more flies with honey than
with vinegar”. Many a potential argument was defused by remaining calm in
the face of an aggressor. This happens
to be true whether you are speaking with a stranger, a friend or even your
spouse. God knows how to handle every situation and with His Holy Spirit within
us we can know how too. It’s a learning
process. We have to want to please the
Lord with our thoughts, words and actions.
If we lose control of our temper unpleasant consequences are bound to
follow.
Reasoning things out using soft
words with those who oppose your viewpoint is far more constructive than
letting your passion run amok. Proverbs
18:21 tells us that “the tongue has the power of life and death…”. Much evil comes from a sharp tongue. You can
kill someone’s spirit and will by berating or speaking harshly to him or
her. This is not being Christ-like and telling it like it is has no place in
the life of the believer if it is spoken rashly with a harsh tone, indifferent
to how you are perceived.
Let us use the power of speech to
build up and not tear down. We can heal
or inflict damage with the words and tone of voice that we use. Christ never went on the offensive except for
His upheaval of the moneychanger’s tables in the temple courtyard. This was a blasphemous display that He had to
deal with immediately. Being God, He was
deeply offended by their actions.
Righteous anger is one thing, but not at all what we are speaking of
here. We are speaking of the loose
cannons within the brethren who feel it is their right or perhaps even their
duty to chastise others at will.
Contentious arguments benefit no one and do not honor God. Until Christ returns, walk with the King and
be a blessing!!
Resources:
Matthew Henry’s Commentary; Reformation Study Bible and Asbury Bible
Commentary.
