DO YOUR TWO CENTS HOLD VALUE?

November 1, 2017

DO YOUR TWO CENTS HOLD VALUE?

Proverbs 18:13-24

Abbie Voorhees

Central Truth

If you want your two cents to hold value, don't give it right away. First . . . LISTEN.

If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
(Proverbs 18:13)

13 If one gives an answer before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.
14 A man's spirit will endure sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
    and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man's gift makes room for him
    and brings him before the great.
17 The one who states his case first seems right,
    until the other comes and examines him.
18 The lot puts an end to quarrels
    and decides between powerful contenders.
19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
    and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20 From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied;
    he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
    and those who love it will eat its fruits.
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing
    and obtains favor from the LORD.
23 The poor use entreaties,
    but the rich answer roughly.
24 A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

One of my favorite ministries at Watermark is Apples of Gold. It’s a cooking and mentoring class for newly married wives. We visit mentoring women’s homes where they teach us delicious recipes, as well as biblical truths God has revealed to them through marriage and/or parenting. In 2014, my big sister knew I was new to both cooking and marriage, so she urged me to sign up!

On one particular night, I remember being challenged with questions like: “Does my husband seek my advice or suggestion? Do I blurt thoughts out before he has time to finish? Are my answers rooted in truth or in biased feelings?” In other words, “Do my two cents hold value?”

As a wife, I wanted my two cents to sway more toward the Proverbs 31 woman rather than the Proverbs 25:24 woman (a little Proverbs humor). When I give advice to community and friends, or whomever, I’m reminded in today’s Key Verse what to do first.

First, we must hear. Reading through this section of Proverbs, we are guided when to listen and warned when not to speak. John MacArthur reminds us, “The book of Proverbs calls man to live as the Creator intended him to live when He made man. The recurring promise of Proverbs is that generally the wise (the righteous who obey God) live longer, prosper, experience joy and the goodness of God temporally, while fools suffer shame and death.”

Proverbs gives us an opportunity to add more value to our two cents, as well as understand how we could quickly make our two cents worthless and be a fool. If we answer quickly without hearing, it will be to our own harm. We will be considered fools if we rush to answer! Rather, we should follow what is recorded in James 1:19 and “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”

Give your two cents more value by taking the first step to listen. Rather than jumping the gun, rather than interrupting, rather than assuming, or cutting someone off . . . WAIT . . . LISTEN.

1. After you listen, how do you decide what advice or suggestions to give? (See James 1:5; Psalm 19:7; Proverbs 9:10.)

2. On anniversaries, I ask Brent, “Do my two cents have value?” Who can you ask this question on a monthly/annual basis (roommates, parents, co-workers, community group members)?

3. I imagine we all want to be wiser. How can you gain more wisdom each day?