Gold Nugget
Verse 12: “He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace.”
Commentary
In today’s “gold
nugget”, He
who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of
understanding holds his peace”, the word despises is translated from the word “Buwz” (booz)
which means – “to belittle someone or openly count them as insignificant”. One
of the most critical elements to every human being is their own self worth. From
the lowliest to the most elevated, all of us are concerned with our self worth.
We all want to be of value. A perfect illustration is that of a person who has
been left by a partner. When a man or woman is broken hearted by their spouse
leaving them, what is so devastating is the feeling of being devalued. Of all
the things we are called to do as Christians, we are never called to devalue or
belittle someone. Even when they may be in moral bankruptcy, our words of
direction and possibly even correction, should never be demeaning.
We are
supposed to be humble people that make a habit of exalting and esteeming others
as greater than ourselves. No one has ever been won to Christ through
intimidation, belittling or downgrading. We are called to illuminate not eliminate.
If we read today’s “gold nugget” we see that those who are without wisdom
belittle others, but a wise man will not speak derogatory of people. Even the
most vile “neighbor” was counted worthy by Christ to die for, so who are we to treat them
as if they were not worthy of the same toll that was paid for us. Your loving attitude to them will work more
towards their salvation than anything else. Even though they know you do not
support sin, they will not be able to deny your sincere love for them. This is
the impact that we should make in their lives.
Prayer
Lord,
although we should be bold about the truth and what your Word says concerning
sin, we also know that being bold doesn’t mean being a brute. Let your love
shine bright through our words and attitudes. Amen
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