Psalm 34:14, “Stop doing evil and do good. Look for peace and work for it.”
Let's start today with a game. ‘Who Am I?’
· I have no respect for justice
· I break hearts and ruin lives
· The more I'm quoted, the more I am believed
· I flourish at every level of society
· My victims are hopeless; they cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face
· To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become
· Once I tarnish your reputation, it is never the same
· I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartache, and indigestion
· I make headlines, headaches, and heartaches
· I make innocent people cry in their pillows
· Even my name hisses
How many clues did it take to guess? Have you figured it out? Who Am I? I am GOSSIP And I come in many forms:
- church gossip - party gossip - office gossip
- telephone gossip - shop gossip - online gossip
Once a church bulletin listed the sermon topic for that day as ‘Gossip’ with the opening hymn, ‘I Love to Tell a Story’. Although the hymn focuses on telling others the story of Jesus and the good news, many love to tell someone else's story too.
I think we have all been tolerant of it because we've all been guilty of it. Yet, here is something to ponder. If a person is willing to listen to gossip, they are willing to spread it. Or as an old Irish saying goes, ‘he who gossips with you will gossip about you.’
You may be saying, ‘I don't gossip, this doesn't apply to me.” You may be right when you read the definition of gossip, idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. How about this one, casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.
Oh, did I hit it a little closer. Casual or unconstrained conversations. How easy it becomes when we're just chatting with a friend. “Don't tell anyone, but I heard…” “It's none of my business, but…” “I'm just sharing a prayer burden…” “I'm concerned about…” “I don't mean to gossip, but…” “Have you heard the latest…” “I just need to vent to someone…”
Do any of these or some form of these sound familiar? Unfortunately, wanting insider knowledge is in our sinful nature. We sit around idly chatting with friends looking for the latest scoop or the ‘tea’ on others. Sometimes it makes us feel better when we think others aren't perfect and being in the know helps boost our ego because it means we are not left out of the ‘in’ crowd. Yet gossip is still gossip and it is not interested to solve the problems as much as it is to share them.
Do we all like to hear a good story? Of course, and if we can be the first to share something new with others, that boosts ourselves even more. Yet, there is a danger to gossip. It doesn't carry a warning label but it's very addictive and very powerful. It can cause others to be influenced in ways to act toward someone or take the information and share it even more. Or what you share could influence how someone now sees the person or treats them because of it. There are typically three reasons a person gossips. They are seeking revenge and want to hurt the person, or maybe they are jealous. Lastly, simply for fun; it's their form of entertainment, to be honest I have fit into one of these categories, a time or two. Be honest with yourself also, where have you fallen into the gossip world? Are you still there? Do you want to change?
What is it about gossip that we feel compelled to listen? Why do we believe the worst in people and then are tempted to repeat it to others? Gossip is a tool that the devil uses to hurt many, ruin friendships, and destroy reputations, and he easily hides it in simple conversations.
We should all start, when news comes to us or we feel the urge to “share”, take the triple filter test. Is it TRUE? Is it FAIR? Is it NECESSARY? Just for fun add one more. Would I want it done to me?
Winston Churchill said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.”
So, where do we begin to overcome what the world calls ‘insider knowledge’. We begin with God's Word. Take time to study how the Bible describes gossip.
Gossip betrays confidence. Don't be a ‘Benedict Arnold’- Proverbs 11:13.
Know that people will avoid you if you like to gossip. Hang around gossips and you'll likely start to gossip- Proverbs 20:19.
Gossips like to stir the pot and strive for drama- Proverbs 16:28.
Gossips are wicked- Romans 1:29. Wow this is quite a strong one and under the list of sins.
Just reading these four things has me thinking I should zip my lips. I don't want to be known as a turncoat or have people avoiding me. Have I stirred the pot a time or two, well, I'm in my 40s so I've had to learn a lot over the years. The thing with stirring the pot is, it could boil over and burn you too. I am far from perfect, and I am still trying to get things right, but I have learned a thing or two and keep my mouth shut a lot more. Many times, with my friends, I sit silently, smiling, and observing. You can learn a lot that way.
Which leads me to my second point of not allowing gossip to fill your words. Simply keeping quiet. Even in Ecclesiastes we are told there is a time to speak and a time to be quiet- v. 3:7. It's amazing how others won't gossip much around you if they are met with silence.
Above all we need to show grace to others as Christ does for us. It's hard to turn your back on friends, even the ones who like to gossip. So, use what Jesus has taught us. Be a peacemaker. We all have faults, and we all have bad days. If the gossip begins, just let it be known that you don't want to hear the latest scoop. That every story has more than one side and you don't need to hear just part of the story. Then change the subject to more joyful things.
So, in the course of each day, just think twice, and try to be careful in your conversations. Try to say good things and when a negative idea pops into your mind be like the wise owl and keep your thoughts inside. It can be done, it just takes practice, prayer, and help from the Lord. For we know gossip is the devil's tool and that's a toolbox we want to stay out of. We may fall, we may slip, but the more we draw closer to God the easier it becomes to stay away.
Remember wisdom has two parts: 1- having a lot to say, 2- not saying it.
Have a gossip free day!
What can we expect from studying the Bible? We can expect to flourish in the ways that matter most. Psalm 1 speaks of the blessed, or happy, person who meditates on—not just reads through—God’s word. The one who meditatively studies God’s word is “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not whither” (Psalm 1:3). Who doesn’t want to be truly happy? Who doesn’t want live a life of flourishing? The God who made us shows us the way: from morning to night, meditating on his word with great delight. Let's continue our study with Jesus and His I Am's.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and if you'd like take a few more minutes to look around or click on my other links, God bless.
If you haven't already please subscribe to our email list on our homepage https://www.connectwithgoddaily.com/ or join any of our media, and please feel free to visit us on Facebook and join our group. https://www.facebook.com/dailyblessingblog/
Also come visit and see what is new in our bookstore. dswells.weebly.com
Don't forget to share with your friends some inspiration today and brighten up their day too.
For those new to our emails, if you would rather receive these via text or on messenger please let me know through my email, dswell123@yahoo.com or our FaceBook page.
Comentários