Dr Paul Allen

Image via Wikipedia "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." ( Proverbs 10:19 )   The book of Proverbs has much wise counsel concerning the use of the tongue. It contains, for example, no less than 27 sober warnings against speaking lies!  There are also at least eight condemnations of gossiping. For example: "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter" ( 11:13 ).   Then there are warnings against using the tongue to criticize, or to slander, or to hurt.  A good example is in  12:18 : "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health," and also in  18:8 : "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."   Too much talking is also dangerous, as our text for the day points out, for it often results in sin. In this connection, one of the most picturesque pro

Image via Wikipedia Next time you are offended, take these four action steps: Acknowledge to yourself that you were offended.  There’s no sense pretending. It hurts to be offended. You can’t transcend what you don’t acknowledge. Remind yourself that being offended is a choice.  You don’t have to be offended. One of the things that makes you uniquely human is you have a choice, how you can respond to what happens to you. Remember that you are dead to these things.  If you are a Christian , St. Paul says, “you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God ” (see Colossians 3:3). You don’t have to obsesses about these things and let them consume your thinking. Forgive the other person and let it go.  This is literally what the Greek word  apoluo . It means: “to set free, to release, to pardon a prisoner or release a debtor.” As someone once said, “holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Effective leaders have learned to overlook offens