Read Proverbs 10:7&8  These two verses are packed full of good information.  Verse seven has two opposites.  One is the just person and the other is the wicked person.  God says that people like to remember the just or good person.  But the opposite is the wicked.  God says that the memory of the wicked will rot.  Rot is a nasty word that reminds me of old wood that has been lying down in a dark, damp basement.  It hasn't been used for a long time and no one cares if it will ever be used.  The next time that the basement is cleaned out, the wood will probably be thrown away.  The wood is slimy with mold and has begun to stink.  If you would try to pick it up it is so deteriorated that it would fall apart in your hand.  It is worthless but, no one cares anything about it.  That is the picture of the memory of the wicked man.  I sure wouldn't want to be the wicked.  Verse eight has two more opposites.  One is a wise heart and the other is a prating fool.  The wise heart is wise because it receives commandments.  Most of us don't usually like commandments or rules, but as we saw yesterday, if we listen and obey, we can be taught many things.  The opposite is a prating fool.  Prating means that the fool talks on, and on, and on ... well, you get the picture.  Some people like to talk and talk, and don't seem to make very much sense.  They seem to just like to hear themselves talk.  These two opposites are a good comparison.  The only way that you can learn is to listen - like the wise heart.  You can never learn anything by talking - like the prating fool.  A good way to remember this rule is to remember that God gave you two ears and only one mouth.  Can you guess why?  I think God wants you to listen twice as much as you talk.  Uncle John used to say this poem when he was a little boy:
A wise old owl sat in an oak
The more he heard the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird.