Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 426 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Rumors are Dainty Morsels – Proverbs 18:1-12

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 426 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the first half of Chapter 18.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I drove back to Marietta by myself on Monday. Paula and her mom were planning on coming with me, but due to an unforeseen change of plans, they will join me Wednesday when this episode originally airs and will also bring with them a couple friends from Paula’s quilting guild. The group plans on investing the remainder of this week focused on quilting projects. On Saturday night, weather permitting we will all enjoy the fireworks display at Marietta’s Sternwheel Festival.

It is great to be able to share our home and invest time with friends. The relationships that we foster are the ones that will continue to flourish. Strong relationships are formed through trust and loyalty. The book of Proverbs has many verses that help us to understand these concepts so that we can apply them to our lives and our friendships. One verse in today’s passage speaks to a subject that can destroy a friendship, and that is spreading rumors about others. So the title of our trek today is taken from verse 8, and it starts out with…

Rumors are Dainty Morsels

Let’s start in with verse 1.

¹ Unfriendly people care only about themselves;

they lash out at common sense.

We all know individuals that are so self-centered that they are hurtful to others. They lash out, even when it is not appropriate. Although there is no excuse for this type of behavior, it usually stems from the fact that these individuals really do not love themselves, so they compensate through selfish behavior that shows a lack of love for others.

² Fools have no interest in understanding;

they only want to air their own opinions.

Tied closely to the first verse, verse 2 describes a foolish and selfish person who does not care to be understanding of others. This individual is so bent on spewing his or her opinions about every topic that he or she ignores the damage he or she causes to others.

³ Doing wrong leads to disgrace,

and scandalous behavior brings contempt.

Even in a culture or society where ethical values are not held in high regard, if a person continually does what is wrong or scandalous, it will eventually bring disgrace to that person and contempt from everyone who knows him or her.

⁴ Wise words are like deep waters;

wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.

If you have ever seen or read about an artesian spring that bubbles up fresh cold water from deep within the earth, then you will have some understanding of the word picture that this verse paints. Words from a wise person are pure, sweet, and refreshing to everyone who hears them. Wise words flow from a wise person like the water from a spring flows into a refreshing brook.

⁵ It is not right to acquit the guilty

or deny justice to the innocent.

In last week’s Wisdom Wednesday, I described a personal situation of a friend who was denied justice for 18 months although he was innocent. Just as wrong is when someone who is truly guilty is acquitted of their crimes. Both of these situations are detestable to God.

⁶ Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels;

they are asking for a beating.

It is fairly easy to tell when a person is foolish. These people will have constant drama in their lives and quarrel with others, even about meaningless issues. These people will suffer the consequences of their foolishness.

⁷ The mouths of fools are their ruin;

they trap themselves with their lips.

You have probably heard the saying that if you give a fool enough rope, he will hang himself. It is the same with their speech. They talk so much that they ruin their relationships with others. Their talk traps them in harmful situations.

⁸ Rumors are dainty morsels

that sink deep into one’s heart.

Just like a tasty piece of rich milk chocolate is a morsel that melts in your mouth and then slides into your stomach, we all are just as prone to consume rumors about others. If we make this a habit, though, it will impact our hearts as it spoils our love for others. Rumors can become like overindulging on chocolate. It may taste good while it is in your mouth, but you will soon feel ill because of it.

⁹ A lazy person is as bad as

someone who destroys things.

In most cultures, we think of a lazy person as someone who is not motivated. Solomon indicates that it is much worse. Being lazy is the same as destroying things. Through neglect lives are destroyed.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong fortress;

the godly run to him and are safe.

God is our rock and our salvation. His protection and strength are poured out on us so the enemy cannot overtake us. All we have to do is to ensure we are residing within that fortress.

¹¹ The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense;

they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.

In contrast to verse 10, if we rely on our wealth to be our strong fortress then we will be sadly mistaken. It will seem like a wall of safety, but it can crumble without warning.

¹² Haughtiness goes before destruction;

humility precedes honor.

This verse is similar to other verses in Proverbs. If we are full of pride, we will become careless in all of our dealings in life. It will soon catch up to us and destroy us. Opposite of this is remaining humble in all situations. Then God will lift us up in the proper time and setting.

The nuggets of wisdom that we gathered in verses 1-12 of Proverbs 18 provide more tasty morsels of wisdom, insight, and understanding. Regardless of your faith walk, if the precepts in Proverbs are followed, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of goodness.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged where we will discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day.

If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically. I would also appreciate it if you would rate and review us on iTunes or Google Play so that others will find out about Wisdom-Trek and join us.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Monday!