Proverbs 15:1-4 English Standard Version

1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 English Standard Version

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

A theologian once said to me that self-control is listed last because it is the last fruit of the spirit.

Fruit does not fall from the tree until the fruit has been ripened. Yes, I just made up my own one line parable, yet for me it does give me peace. This is the point that I would like to make.

Romans 14:19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

What gives me peace may not lead to mutual upbuilding. I should be the first to admit that some of scripture is not easily understood. No, wait, Peter said that about Paul’s writings, so I am not first. At the end of my article called The Sect I said “The purpose has to be to seek God’s will or this will not work.”

How soon we forget because shortly after that I sought the scriptures to bring me peace of mind, I found it and yet that last fruit of the spirit, self-control, struggled. Wisdom seeks counsel and so I did. His counsel confirmed what I already knew in my heart, controversy leads to weakening of faith and does not lead to peace for others. Build up, do not burden.

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

The book of wisdom comes through once again.

Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

The soul is composed of the mind, will and emotions of a person. In most societies it is seen as the life force, it is what makes human life meaningful. Having a soul is an opportunity to understand the ethereal elements of existence.

Mankind has sensed that existence and created whole religious worship around the desire behind those feelings. The American Natives were found to have different explanations for the natural forces and expressed them in different ways before we discovered their shores..

Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Having awareness of God does not mean you know God.

Genesis 12:1-3 English Standard Version

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abram lived in Ur of the Chaldeans and moved to Haran in the land of Canaan. The gods of the Chaldeans and Canaan were pagan gods that Abram would have known about. Strangely enough the Chaldeans held to the notion of Triune gods,  Anu, Enlil, and Ea. The Canaanites had 25 gods they worshiped. None of these gods ever spoke to man..

Abram, the father of three faith based religions, heard God, believed God and obeyed God. Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.

This was just a beginning that was passed down from father to son to grandson. Oral traditions are fine but how does one come to know God if those traditions are not upheld?

Exodus 3:6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Moses had that burning bush moment when God revealed Himself to be that God, the one God that speaks and makes Himself known to the saving of souls.