Job Chapter 32
Think Before You Speak, Especially If You’re Getting Angry.
Job’s fourth friend has not spoken up to this point because he was younger than the other three.
He was getting angry inside at Job and at the three friends and said he kept silent because he assumed that he would not have anything wise to say because of his age. But then says he realized it’s not the age that determines wisdom but the spirit of God that is within them. Plus he said that if he didn’t speak he would explode so he wanted to make sure he spoke the truth rather than flattering words.
We all feel compelled to speak at times during conversation. Three things to think about before you speak:
1. Make sure you’re being Spirit led.
2. Pray God will give you the words to speak.
3. Do a self check to make sure you speak truth and not become a hot head with demeaning words.
Two real life examples:
1. A discussion broke out in a small group regarding whether or not we should have gay pastors. At first I was impressed with how respectful people were in sharing their ideas. But at one point, a man was getting frustrated with the guy speaking against the gay movement. Instead of having a debate of ideas, the man began to swear and call this gentleman horrible names. In my mind, he turned into a hot head rather than a man who could speak respectfully.
2. I was at a barber shop and this man shared how a cop had pulled him over at night. The man had a lot of empty beer cans in the back of his seat and he hoped the cop wouldn’t see it, and then he bragged about it. Another man, not a part of the conversation, was compelled to speak. He calmly said it’s people like you that scare me because it’s people like you that end up killing innocent people on the road. He didn’t say it with a hot head and spoke his opinion respectfully. I thought, well done!
I hope there’s something you can learn from this devotional.
