5 Things Proverbs Says About Our Words Sampl

Day 5: Our speech should be humble and build up others

The Bible commends humility as a sign of grace. Proverbs says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (3:34). This maxim is also mentioned two other times in Scripture: in James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5. 

But, what does this have to do with our speech? 

It tells us, I believe, that graceful, measured, civil speech is a sign of God’s grace, while proud, boastful speech is a sign of God’s resistance. Humility means speaking with recognition of our own fallenness. It means resisting the urge to speak out of turn. It means we have the self-awareness to know if we are the right person to speak on a particular issue at a particular time. It means setting aside our opinions and pursuing true understanding first (Proverbs 18:2).

The Bible also commends speech that edifies: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Proverbs 18:21 ESV)

So how do we practice these gospel realities every day in our digital lives? We begin by prioritizing our time with God and meditating on the work he wants to do in us. We need daily heart work before we engage the world.

This self-denial is not self-flagellation; it’s about finding strength in our own weakness. Those things we airbrush out of our Instagram images are the very things that point us to Jesus and remind us exactly for whom He came to die. God didn’t come for the person we project in our carefully manicured public images but for the broken soul we so desperately want to hide. And so we pursue obscurity, even in public, by remembering who we are and whose we are.

Additionally, we should not hesitate to encourage others in their gifts and do what we can to open doors for them and use our platforms to point out the gifts of others. One of the best things you can do for your soul is to make your public profile not all about you and your work. Be a digital Barnabas and launch others into flourishing. As Proverbs 15:4 says, be a “tree of life” to others. 

• What tempts you to display pride on your social media accounts? How will you seek to post with more humility? 
• What are some ways that you can use your online speech to build up and encourage others? 

We adapted this plan from another resource. Learn more at awaywithwordsbook.com.