A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. – Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. – Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)

Theme:  Living According to God’s Word
This is our 4th week on this theme.  See previous posts here:  Everything…With all of Your Heart, No Grumbling, Overcome Evil with Good

I believe that harsh words have become an epidemic in our society.  When someone says or does something we don’t like or don’t agree with, we’ve been taught by pop culture that the appropriate response is to think “nobody says that to me” and lash out in return.  Just a quick glance at almost any social media platform puts that behavior (sadly) on display.  People argue and fight over almost anything:  the weather, politics, different beliefs, sports teams, how people dress, who’s music is the best…even who makes the best burger or pizza.  An epidemic of people being unkind to one another, and each harsh word generates more harsh words in return.

But God tells us we have it exactly backwards.  Throughout the book of Proverbs King Solomon shares God’s wisdom and direction for living a happy and peaceful life.  Proverbs 15:1 offers wisdom on how we should speak with one another–harsh words simply make a situation worse, while kind words turn away anger.

Our words matter…let’s make sure they reflect the love and kindness of our God.

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