Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
    but the hearts of fools are not upright.

To me, this ties back directly to 9:10, that I wrote on two days ago. If we have proper respect for the Lord, He will reveal things about Himself and His way to us. We are then responsible to share that knowledge with others. This fits perfectly with Acts 1:8, which famously says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Being witnesses includes sharing what God has shown us, though it isn’t limited to that. If we are wise, by the operation of the Holy Spirit within us, we will spread the knowledge of God wherever we go, by whatever means are available to us. It is interesting to me that both the Japanese and the English specifically say “spread.” We aren’t to go in a corner and just dump all that we know in one spot, but rather spread it around so that as many people as possible may receive and be blessed by it. As Paul expressly said to King Agrippa in his trial, God’s work of salvation was not done in a corner. (Acts 26:26) We are to spread the Gospel as far and wide as God makes possible, and that’s really saying something!

Of course, this is close to my heart, since I’m a missionary in Japan. I haven’t been terribly effective in spreading the Gospel right here, but God alone knows the long-term effects of what I have said and done. In recent years He has allowed me to use the Internet to spread things more broadly, but I have even less personal knowledge of how that is being received. I can say with gratitude that several people have gone out from my ministry as ministers themselves, but I only know of that in the vaguest of terms. In any case, I’m to keep pressing in for more of God and keep spreading what He says to me in return, so that more and more people may be drawn into a right relationship with Him, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. There is a lot going on right now, in the world and in my family. Help me keep my mind and heart fixed on You so I won’t be anxious about anything, but will indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that Your purposes may be accomplished in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!