A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness . . . A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father's instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so. (Proverbs 15:1-7)

Solomon is considered to be one of the wisest men who ever lived on the face of this earth. I believe we can gain some good advice if we learn from him. It is one thing to read the words of Solomon, and another completely different thing to follow the directions and advice of those words.

Solomon many times used comparisons. Some people like part of the comparison, but not the complete comparison. Notice here, “A soft answer turns away wrath.� Now, that sounds beautiful.

None of us who have a healthy mind like to argue on a continuous basis. Yes, there will be times we need to argue for righteousness and godliness, but not about menial things. Sometimes we hear it said, “That person sure is in an argumentative mood today.� Just as salt and pepper spice up our food, so do “soft words� spice up our life. Soft words are also a defensive mechanism. They turn away the wrath of another person. Remember the old adage “it takes two to make an argument.�

Now we are going to look at the result of the second part of this opening sentence. “But a harsh word stirs up anger.� Webster defines harsh as “ungentle in action or effect�. As second meaning is “grim; cruel�. A harsh word is like a knife with a jagged blade which is meant to leave a scar. A harsh word is meant to hurt and therefore stirs up anger. A harsh word is spoken to gain a certain negative effect.

Check your own speech. Is it the speech of a wise person, or the tongue of a fool? If your tongue speaks wholesome thoughts then you will be growing the fruit of the Spirit by your speech. Guide your speech so that you become the conveyor of wise knowledge, or in other words, so as not to “act the part of the fool.�

Remember it is never God’s plan for a Christian to be a fool!