For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
If we want to be thought of as wise, if we are truly wise, we will speak with pleasant words. That is, we will speak to others in ways that both make them feel respected and liked, and that instruct them. Pleasant words are persuasive, so the wise will use them to instruct others. If those you wish to instruct cannot be taught with pleasant words, chances are good they will not accept instruction at all.
Let us keep our focus on God so that we can see His will for us. Let us be ready to obey His will at the most subtle signal from Him. I will depend on God’s mercy and not let the contempt of the proud distract me from following His will.
When the lame man begged Peter and John for money, they had none to give him. However, Peter recognized that they had something more valuable to give the man. Through God’s power, they were able to cure him and give him the ability to walk. This gave Peter an opportunity to preach the Gospel. However, it is worth noting that Peter did not heal the man in order to preach the Gospel, he healed the man in order to heal the man. It was after the fact, when people were curious about what happened that Peter saw the opportunity to preach. This should be our model. We should help people in order to help them, but when helping gives us the opportunity to preach the Gospel, we should seize that opportunity with vigor.
When Peter was preaching, he talked about the guilt those listening had in Jesus’ crucifixion. However, he also pointed out that they, and their leaders, had acted in ignorance. They did not know better. What had happened was according to God’s will. Peter’s words here are an example of gentle and persuasive words being used by the wise to persuade. Let us remember to use kind and gentle words to persuade others to follow Jesus.
David decided that he wanted a census of all of the people of Israel. In particular, he wanted to know how many fighting men he could muster. Rather than trust in God that the number of fighting men would be sufficient when danger threatened, David wanted to know what force he had at his disposal. By doing so, David brought a plague upon the people of Israel. The passage does not tell us this, but I believe that the plague was spread by David’s census takers. David realized his error and begged God’s forgiveness. We need to face the consequences of our actions when we sin, especially when those consequences bring harm to others.