Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 651 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Speak Less, Listen More – Proverbs 18

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 651 of our trek, and it 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 Proverbs 18 from The Voice Translation which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. If you are a regular listener or reader of the Wisdom-Trek Podcast and Journal, you may realize that we are publishing these episodes a couple of days late this week. This is due to an unfortunate and serious accident I had on July 8th. I am chronicling the accident and my subsequent recovery on our Tuesday and Thursday “Wisdom-Nugget” episodes for a couple of weeks. The segments published so far are Day 645, Day-647, and Day-650 if you would like to follow along with my saga of “Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way.”

I think that you will enjoy the story as we all realize that at age 60, there are still some hard lessons about life to be learned. One of the lessons learned is to make sure I follow the surgeon’s advice if I desire complete recovery.

Following advice is the focus of Proverbs 18 as we learn to:

Speak Less, Listen More

This chapter tackles a variety of diverse subjects, but the two repeated themes are listening and speaking. Turns out (surprise, surprise) these two things are related.

As I read through the text look for listening verbs such as “seek,” “hear,” “understand,” “acquire,” and “examine.” Notice anything? (Hint: The more you listen, the wiser you are.) Now, look through the text for speaking nouns such as “lips,” “mouth,” and “tongue.” We discover a compelling portrait of the fool — a person who hates to listen but loves to talk.

However, talking is not all bad! Look at verses 20 through 21. The wise man does not speak in haste; his words are nourishing. There is a beautiful metaphor in there: The fruit of a man’s mouth satisfies. Fruit cannot be produced quickly but is cultivated through time and care. Our words can be of great benefit, but only through the careful cultivation of listening (see verse 13).

As you move through these sayings of wisdom, meditate on how you can nourish relationships in your life by listening and speaking with care.

Listen intently as I read Proverbs 18.

¹ Whoever pulls away from others to focus solely on his own desires
disregards any sense of sound judgment.
² A fool never delights in true knowledge
but only wants to express what’s on his mind.
³ When wrongdoers arrive, disgrace is right there with them,
for shame is the companion of dishonor.
⁴ Words bubble up from waters deep within a person;
a stream gushes from the fountain of wisdom.
⁵ It is wrong for a judge to show partiality to the guilty
or to rob the innocent of justice.
⁶ When a fool’s lips move, a fight breaks out;
it’s as if his mouth is begging for a beating.
⁷ The mouths of fools are their destruction,
and their lips entrap their very souls.
⁸ Whispered gossip is like a delicious first course:
it is devoured with pleasure and penetrates deeply.
⁹ Those who slack off at work
are no different from vandals.
¹⁰ The Eternal is known to be like a sturdy watchtower;
those who do right flee to Him for protection.
¹¹ The rich think their wealth is their sturdy fortress;
they imagine it to be an invincible wall of security.
¹² A proud heart precedes destruction,
and before honor is humility.
¹³ To respond to a matter before you hear about it
shows foolishness and brings shame.
¹⁴ The human spirit can endure a long illness,
but who can survive a crushed spirit?
¹⁵ Clever people go after knowledge to obtain it,
and wise people attune their ears to hear it.
¹⁶ The right gift at the right time can open up new opportunities
and gains access to influential people.
¹⁷ The first ones to tell their side of a story seem right
until cross-examined by their peers.
¹⁸ Casting lots can settle conflicts
and decide between powerful opponents.
¹⁹ Winning over an offended brother is harder than breaching a strong city’s defenses;
such fights are as tough as the iron gates of a castle.
²⁰ Good words satisfy like a fine meal;
yes, good conversations are sure to satisfy.
²¹ Words have power in matters of life and death,
and those who love them will savor their fruit.
²² The man who finds a wife finds something good,
and the favor of the Eternal is indeed his.
²³ The poor plead for help,
but the rich respond harshly.
²⁴ Someone with many so-called friends may end up friendless,
but a true friend is closer than a brother.

That will conclude our exploration of Proverbs 18. The question for today is, “Are you a better listener or talker? Do you listen when sound advice is given to you?” You can only learn when you’re listening, unless it is to ask an additional question. Each week we will explore a full chapter in Proverbs. I hope that you will join us next week for Chapter 19 so that you can gain wisdom, insight, and understanding for yourself.

The entire book of Proverbs provides us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, your life will be rich and satisfying. I encourage you to take them and plant the seeds of wisdom in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom throughout your life.

Tomorrow we will continue “Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way” on our Wisdom Unplugged series about my recent accident and ongoing recovery. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe at iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much 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 tomorrow!