Proverbs 17.27 says, He that hath knowledge spareth his words, and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. We previously discussed the biblical understanding of what it means for a smart man or woman to spare his or her words. This is tied to being a man of understanding who is of an excellent spirit. And that's an interesting thing to consider because if you asked 100 different people what it meant to be of an excellent spirit, I think you'd only get a couple of correct answers. My conclusions are admittedly anecdotal and not scientific. I haven't paid anyone to perform a scientific poll, but I believe most of the so-called scientific polling we see anyway isn't really accurate and is skewed in spite of the claims made by the pollsters in most cases. But my conclusions are based upon life experience that covers a range of just under half a century. I'm 54 years old at the time of this recording. But my solid recollections didn't begin until I was around the age of 10. And in that time, I've spent most of my time in Ohio, but surrounded by various races and people groups and people from various countries. So I think I have a pretty good gauge on people. And I know for a fact, I'm solidly convinced that most people have an idea about an excellent spirit that does not resemble what the Bible means by that phrase. For example, I believe most people would say that to have an excellent spirit is to have a sweet or gentle spirit. But to have an excellent spirit is to know when to be sweet and gentle. and to also know when not to be sweet and gentle. I've known police officers who had an excellent spirit, but much of the time their job requires them to be anything but sweet and gentle. So you see the problem? Another example is that many would say that an excellent spirit is that person being quiet or reserved and pleasant. Now, that's a good thing much of the time, but again, a person with an excellent spirit is only quiet, reserved and pleasant when it is fit and proper to be so. As a matter of fact, the so-called silent majority demonstrates how detrimental it is for good men and women to do and say nothing as our nation goes to hell. The reality is that Just as we discussed when focusing on the first half of this proverb, sparing your words is about knowing when to speak, not being the silent type who doesn't speak at all. And it doesn't mean you remain quiet until you finally become fed up and you explode. You know, some of us are guilty of that from time to time. And the reality is that a man with an excellent spirit in biblical terms is a man who is consciously aware. He's a man who is decisive, plain spoken, fully biblical in his words and actions. A man with an excellent spirit has self-awareness and rarely puts his foot in his mouth, as the saying goes, because he thinks before he speaks. There are people who boast about not having a filter. That's nothing to brag about. People laugh it off, but it's foolish and the opposite of having an excellent spirit. But I want to close as we consider these things by reminding myself and my listeners that the fact that all of us are human and that an excellent spirit isn't something we're just born with. And I'm not giving you this because I think I, you know, that's describing me. It's describing the me I would like to be all the time. I admit I'm not always that guy, but we should strive to be. Each of us must desire to have this excellent spirit that can only come as we read, meditate upon, and memorize God's wisdom found in God's Word. And then we make a diligent, consistent effort to submit to God's Word and be molded in the image of the Word, capital W, Jesus Christ, who is the Author, capital A. by His Spirit, capital S, of the words of God found in our King James Bible. That's really what's meant by Paul's words in Colossians 3.16, where we're told to, quote, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.