When You Are Not Around, Do People Say This About You?

Prov. 1:5 - A wise man will hear and increase in learning, 
                  And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 
 
Prov. 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, 
                      But a wise man is he who listens to counsel. 
 
Prov. 29:9, 11 - When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man,
                          The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest… 
                          A fool always loses his temper,
                          But a wise man holds it back.  

• Positive Or Negative 

Some people might ask, "Well, if you are not around how do you know what people say about you?" Hopefully we can say we have at least one friend who will come to us and share what is being said about us.
 
Solomon says a friend like that may say things that hurt us but those "hurts" are called "faithful wounds" and they are better than kisses from an enemy.
 
Prov. 27:6 says, - "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy."
 
In other words, we will have a friend who will inform us of the truth that is being said.
 
We will have a real friend and not a "yes man" as they are known. "Yes men and women" will tell us want we want to hear and not necessarily what we need to hear. 

• What We Want Said About Us 

As Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, "a wise man is one who will hear and listen". 

A wise man will seek out wise counsel; and this is what needs to be said about us when we are not around?
 
Do people say we are wise because we hear, listen and increase in knowledge? 

• Wise Or Fools 

So if we had to choose right now are we more like the wise man or the foolish man?
 
Do we seek out wise counsel and obey it?
 
Or are we more like the foolish man? Always losing our tempers, never listening to others, and of course we are always right about everything in our own eyes.
 
Think On These:
 
To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it.
 
The courage to speak must be matched by the wisdom to listen.
 
You can buy an education but wisdom is a gift from God.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word