Motive Meters

(Pro 29:8 KJV)  Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.

It struck me that both of these people might be saying similar things, possibly even identical.  If that is the case and they are getting totally different results, what is it that is different?  It would have to be the goals, attitudes and values of the person speaking.

What are they seeking by what they say?  What are we seeking by what we say?  Closer to home, what am I seeking by what I say?  That is the real point of reading Proverbs.  We are looking for God speaking to us, not something to stir up others with.

So?  It isn’t enough to watch what we say.  We also need to examine our motives because it often seems that people have motive meters that govern their response.