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The Troublemaker
Another kind of fool is the troublemaker. The mark of this person is constant conflict (6:14). This is the opposite of the peacemaker (Matthew 5:9), the bridge builder whose careful, gracious answers (15:1) disarm and defuse tensions. The troublemaker instead stirs them up. This is not the person who disturbs the false peace with an insistence on honesty. Rather, this is someone who always feels the need to protest and complain rather than overlooking a slight or wrong (19:11). When troublemakers do contend, they do not present the other side fairly. Their corrupt mouths produce deceptive omissions, half-truths, and innuendo. Their body language (winking, signaling) creates a hostile situation rather than one that leads to resolution.
Troublemakers tell themselves and others that they just like to “speak truth to power.” But disaster will overtake the troublemakers (6:15). As time goes on, it becomes clearer that the troublemakers themselves are a reason that conflict always follows in their wake. They can be permanently discredited by events that expose them for what they are. But the ultimate reason for their downfall is that “the Lord hates . . . a person who stirs up conflict in the community” (6:16,19).
If you have been involved in a series of conflicts, is it because you have the traits of a troublemaker? Do you know any troublemakers you should confront?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for this warning. It is right to tell the truth, even to people who do not welcome it. But show me if I am speaking the truth in love or instead asserting it unnecessarily or harshly. I want to be valiant for truth, not a troublemaker. Give me the wisdom to discern the difference. Amen.
Excerpt from God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller
Reprinted by arrangement with Viking Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017 by Timothy and Kathy Keller
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Proverbs is God’s book of wisdom, teaching us the essence and goal of a Christian life. In this 14-day devotional, Timothy Keller offers readers a fresh, inspiring lesson for each day based on different passages within the Book of Proverbs. With his trademark knowledge, Keller unlocks the wisdom within the poetry of Proverbs and guides us toward a new understanding of what it means to live a moral life. For devotionals on the entire Book of Proverbs, buy Timothy and Kathy Keller’s latest book, God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life .
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