Too Much Talking

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.  Proverbs 17:28

Four pastors in one car–there was no shortage of talking and opinions! It was years ago, and we were on our way to a seminar. The details are a bit fuzzy in my mind, other than the fact that I didn’t really know two of the other guys, and I was by far the youngest pastor of the four. The conversation and debate was constant, until all of a sudden, the guy in the front passenger’s seat of the car (who was also the loudest and most opinionated) whirled around, looked at me and said, “You sure haven’t said much! Very wise! Wow, guys–isn’t this kid smart?” Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I’m not that smart, and my personality is such that if a bunch of people are talking, I don’t fight for airtime. But his reaction stuck with me. Perhaps you’ve heard this saying: “Better for people to think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

We get ourselves in trouble quite often by what we say, don’t we? The thing with talking is that once something you say leaves your lips, you can’t get it back! How careful we need to be when talking to others. Much harm can be caused by our mouths. James said it this way, “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire.” (James 3:5)

Friends–let’s be sure that we are not talking to simply be heard, and that when we do speak, it benefits those who hear us (Ephesians 4:29).

-Pastor Mike