I want to ask if you consider yourself “cool?” Here is why I ask. I was reading in my Devotionals recently and came across a Scripture that began to speak to me. It was Proverbs 17:27. In the New King James Version, it says, “He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.” The Hebrew word for “calm” is “kar” (k-a-r). It means “excellent,” but it also means “to chill” or “to be cool.” James 1:19-20 in the New King James Version says, “So then,* my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; {20} for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Put these two sets of Scriptures together and you could paraphrase them to say, “A wise person chills out and stays cool when the pressure comes. He or she immediately listens carefully, while measuring how to respond. The response will be good because it will be done with a considered, cool, calm, peaceful spirit.” I’m Dr. Bob. My advice is that we all practice the skill of being “cool” when things heat up. When we do this, we stay in control and can be led by the Spirit. Here is a parting question for you. What is your “hot button” and what can you do to stay cool when things heat up? Think about it.
