Today is Canada’s
Thanksgiving, a celebration for the bountiful harvest that God gives to us.
As a Canadian I should be writing about thanksgiving and how
thankful we should be. I am truly
thankful for having the privilege of writing this devotion, for the CAST team
and support we give each other and that God puts upon my heart what he wants me
to share with you.
On that note, gossip has been on my heart.
A friend told me she did not go to bible studies as she
found it to be place for gossip. At
bible studies that I have attended the discussion goes well, each sharing from their
heart about themselves, then comes time for the prayer requests. During this
time I have witnessed people giving intimate details about a loved one
that I did not need to know. I have also
experienced this on a phone prayer chain.
I would pass on what I had been told only to have the response, ‘give me more details so I can pray’. My response was: God knows the details you
don’t need to know them, just pray.
I have learned over the years to only share the basic. Such as, ‘pray for so and so. They are going through a hard time, they need
prayer’, etc. When I ask for a prayer request I try to think ‘how would I like
it if someone gave details of my situation in group setting?’, not very
well.
I looked up gossip in my concordance and couldn’t find
it. Instead I found ‘babble’ the King James
version. Another version called it idle
chatter. Change gossip to these words
and it takes on a deeper meaning.
What exactly in gossip?
The first description my dictionary
says is “idle talk or rumor,
especially about the personal or private affairs of others”.
In 1 Timothy 6: 20 Paul exhorts Timothy to avoid wordly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is
falsely called knowledge. (NISB)
2 Timothy 2:16 But avoid wordly and empty chatter, for it
will lead to further ungodliness. (NISB)
Speaking about people who turn their back on God Paul says
in Romans 1:29:30 being filled with all unrighteousness,
wickedness, greed, evil: full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice: they are
gossip, slanders, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of
evil, disobedient to parents. (NISB)
Psalms 112 A blessed man or blessed women, who fear God
………
Is unfazed by rumor and
gossip. (The Message)
These are all ‘Ouch” statements. Gossipers are lumped in
with murderers. Humans water down sin, but God
doesn’t. A sin is a sin is a sin.
So “Be careful little
tongue what you say. For the Father up above is looking down in love, so be
careful little tongue what you say”
8:00 AM |
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12
comments
Comments (12)
Excellent post!
I am completely in agreement. I too tend to shy away from small group studies because I do not want to be involved in "the chatter".
I once worked with a lady who did her best to live her life in a strict Christian manner, quick to point out and offer correction to others, yet every Monday she offered up horrible details about her church, the bickering between elders, who was messing around who, speculation as to what was happening behind closed doors. She was completely unaware of the gossip she was spreading and the damage she was doing. It made me leary of ever joining a church and I most certainly would never grace the doorways of hers. We do need to be careful what we say. Always.
Gossip has been on my heart too. Thank you for sharing this. It has clarified some things for me. God bless!
Makes me thankful for my Bible study. Our leadership is so good about keeping us on topic and wise about making it a God-honoring time. We write our requests down and pass it to the person next to us, so there isn't a forum for gossip.
Still, I've seen gossip split a church. The first time was when I was a teenager and that divide affected me spiritually for a long time.
Thank you for your comments.
Very true - our hearts are so deceitful!
Nicely stated. It is easy to fall into a gossiping situation in the name of prayer. A great reminder of how we should tame our tongue.
Very convicting post. Thanks!
"A sin is a sin is a sin." Well said. There is so much to be shared and so much love to be spread. We must keep this thought with us at all times and open our hearts to Christ.Then, we will be so Full of Him that there will be no room for ignorance and idle chatter... just love and lifting. Thank you, for this post. Blessings!
Thanks Joyce. Well said.
AMEN! As a Pastor's wife, i am in TOTAL agreement!!! On our prayer list in the bulletin, there are those who are named, but we always include "unspoken requests". God knows who needs what & what goes on in all of our lives. Thanks for this post.
Our ladies group had to make some changes because left in a more open forum it seemed to go places that weren't edifying. The day I sent the email out with that concern on my heart I was terrified of what the response was going to be.....thankfully it was mostly well received and we are in a much better place these days.