How to Torture the Soul
I wrote to the church, but Diotrophes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. (3 John 9)
What a horrible epitaph Diotrophes carries! For two thousand years he is recorded as a man who loved to be first.
Self-promotion is never an original thought; it began with satan in heaven. Upon his expulsion he traded this sin across earth.
Knowledge and skills are tools I use to promote me. They fuel pride within, the very foundation of all evil.
Knowledge supports my competitiveness, for it cannot sit still or remain silent. It yells for display, ignoring both discretion and tact.
A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them. (Proverbs 14:3)
Knowledge is the empowerment of the mind to seek its own honor. However, when paraded before the sage or those who can bridle their tongue - it only invites dishonor.
The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. (Proverbs 10:14)
Don't forget that even a fish is safe if it keeps its mouth closed.
Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. (Proverbs 17:28)
God's earth is littered with those who must be known. The curtains of the heart are drawn apart by the words that pass through a man's lips.
- Better a secret place with the prudent than the city square beside a fool.
- Better a man who knows his heart, than a man who can't feel his sin.
- Better to sup with a silent simpleton than an argumentative scholar.
Knowledge becomes the enemy of wisdom when it is perched alertly upon the pillars of pride.
From the pride of self-promotion, that uncontrolled tongue - the mouth becomes the soul's fiercest torturer.
Today's Soul Snippet:
'We know metals by their tinkling and men by their talking.' ~ Thomas Brooks
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