OUR DAILY BREAD             Monday, June 5, 1995   
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READ:  Proverbs 16:21-30


                    FIERY WORDS

      "An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on
           his lips like a burning fire."

                           -- Proverbs 16:27

Few crimes are as senseless as arson.  In late 1993,
portions of the Southern California landscape were
blackened by a rash of brushfires set by arsonists.
Woodlands vanished, homes were reduced to ashes,
animals and human beings lost their lives.

Slander is verbal arson.  Lies about a person's
character or actions are extremely destructive.
They consume reputations and destroy relationships.

In Shakespeare's play "Othello", the character
Iago mapped out the damage slander does:

   Who steals my purse steals trash;
   'tis something, nothing.  'Twas
   mine, 'tis his, and has been slave
   to thousands.  But he who filches
   from me my good name robs me
   of that which not enriches him 
   and makes me poor indeed.

King Solomon warned that a scoundrel has evil "on
his lips like a burning fire" (Prov. 16:27).  In
contrast, he said that pleasant words are instructive
and soothing, promoting spiritual health (vv. 21-24).

When you're tempted to set a match to your brother's
reputation with fiery words, stop!  Ask God to help
you speak words that build up instead of destroy.
Don't be a verbal arsonist.

                                -- Haddon W. Robinson

        Guard well your lips, for non can know
         What evils from the tongue may flow;
        What guilt, what grief may be incurred
            By one uncautious, evil word!

                                -- Elliott

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          THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 
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Like fire, words can either burn or warm.   
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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:   Psalms 34-36

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