Proverbs 29

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (v11). While our society admires people who “tell it like it is” and are “brutally honest,” the Bible shows us a better way. Wise people control their tongues and tempers; they seek to build up, rather than tear down. In chaotic times, “scoffers set a city aflame,” but the wise “turn away wrath” (v8) instead of retaliating. It’s easy to jump into a conflict and “stir up strife” (v22), but wise people are peace-makers.

“Whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (v25). Because our lives are in God’s hands, fear and anger don’t have to control us; we can speak and act with wisdom.