Walking with the Wise #23: Talk & Walk

“Put away from you crooked speech,
 

and put devious talk far from you.
 

Let your eyes look directly forward,
 

and your gaze be straight before you.
  

Ponder the path of your feet;
 

then all your ways will be sure.
  

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
 

turn your foot away from evil.” 

—Proverbs 4:24-27

Words are powerful. They can build up and they can destroy. They can make war and negotiate peace. As believers in Christ, we must guard our speech, because our words can destroy others. Because we are human, we are not exempt from jealousy, envy or frustration with others. However, much as we do not like another person and perhaps even want to see them hurt, we must not engage in conversation that would hurt them. All too often we do not act in the interest of another, but we act in judgment, often without knowledge of all the relevant facts. We see what we want to see. Which is why the proverb says,

“Let your eyes look directly forward,
 

and your gaze be straight before you.


Ponder the path of your feet;
 

then all your ways will be sure.


Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
 

turn your foot away from evil.”

Our eyes need to look directly forward on the task before us, not on others and the wrong that they may be doing. The words of today's passage are reminiscent of the words of Jesus to Peter in John 21. After Jesus had just restored Peter to active service, Peter saw the apostle John and asked Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” (v. 21). Jesus then said to him, “If it is My will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!" (v. 22). What was Jesus’ point? In essence, I think Jesus was saying,

“Don’t worry about him, Peter. Do what it is that I have asked you to do. Don’t think about what My will is for him, but what My will is for you. That’s what you need to be concerned about.”

Jesus knew that we are all prone to jealousy. And the cure for jealousy is not only contentment, but focus and perspective. When we have the proper focus and perspective, we stay on target, doing the task we have been given to do. We don’t need to put others down to build ourselves up, nor do we need to go around trying to justify ourselves by trying to put others in their place. We simply need to continue on walking with the Lord, making sure that we are doing all that we are supposed to be doing, not turning to the right or to the left, but keeping “crooked speech” and “devious talk” away from us.

What about your words? Are you harming, hindering, or helping others? Are you saying things about others that are not true? Are you gossiping? Could your words be interpreted as slanderous? Before you speak, consider your ways and your words, your talk and your walk. Speak what you know is true. Keep your focus on the task Jesus has for you, make sure that your own heart is right and ask yourself what will the end result be if I speak with unguarded lips?

May the Lord our God give us a proper talk and walk. May our speech and actions match one another to build up, not tear down. And may God grant us the ability to know when to speak and when to remain silent so His name might receive praise through it. Amen.