Save Trash Talk for the Dump

(Proverbs 11:12 KJV)  He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

Does this mean that I can’t trash talk the guy in the next apartment?  Actually, yes, but it goes much farther than that.  This goes down into our inner man and how we look at other people.  We don’t need to accept or approve but we do need to love in the Biblical sense.  You can’t do that if you have a genuine, heart felt contempt for the unregenerated pagan next door.  You can’t do that if you won’t speak to someone who sits in the pew behind you because of something they did or because of who they are.  This goes double if your arrogance is based on race or class.

This does not mean you must respect them.  Respect if earned and deserved.  It does mean that you must be courteous and polite.  It means you need to be honest in business and word.  It means that you need to treat them as a potential brother or sister.  Sure they aren’t there yet but they may never get there is they find out what you said about them.

So?  Watch the mouth.  Check the heart.