Tempered

Read Proverbs 10:1-32

8. The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.
9. People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.
10. People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace.
11. The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
12. Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.
13. Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding, but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod.
14. Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.
15. The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of the poor is their destruction.
16. The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin. Proverbs 10:8-16

Are there certain people, who, even just the mention of their name can set you off in three seconds flat? Although you don’t particularly care for the way you respond, you can’t forget how badly that person treated you. Normally you’re not a hateful person, but your feelings for so-and-so cross the line of hatred.

Proverbs 10 urges us to deal with this ugly emotion head-on. That’s easy to say but not so easy to do. The principles in this reading, however, will help you out.

Other lessons in this chapter will teach you how to avoid sorrow; how to keep your foot out of your mouth; and how to avoid aggravating your employer.

Many people spend their whole lives hating certain people. They cannot let go of wrongs done to them, or forgive offenses from the distant past. Their statements about these people become laced with unkind words and slander. Harboring hatred destroys the person doing the hating and causes nothing but conflict with others (Proverbs 10:12). “Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool” (Proverbs 10:18). In contrast, those who love bring forgiveness and healing because “love makes up for all offenses” (Proverbs 10:12). Love forgives and forgets.

Beware of hatred. If you try to conceal your hatred, you only lie about your true feelings. If you slander the other person, you become a fool. The only way out is to admit your hateful feelings to God, ask him to change your heart, and forgive the other person. Let God’s love go beyond the other person’s offense and help you to actually forgive the offender (Proverbs 10:12). Ask God to help you love instead of hate.