Let’s talk about
gossip. Some of you, say you never gossip; so
you really are not interested in this subject
since it has no relevance for you. I
understand; however, before turning the page,
please define the word “gossip” for
me. Oh, some of you say, “ it is saying
something bad about another
person.” That was what I thought,
but my ( 1974 The Merriam-Webster) dictionary
goes a little further. It indicates that
“gossip” is the revealing of
personal or sensational facts, 2) rumor or
report of an intimate nature, 3) informal
conversation. These definitions don’t
feel so good, do they? I mean, for example,
if Mary tells me her son is on drugs, and she
told just June and myself about it, asking
each of us to pray for her and her son,
certainly it is okay for me to mention to
June, that it is too bad about Mary’s
problems, and I am praying for her and her
son. Maybe you would agree, that this
example is not is not an exmple of
gossip. Well, it is, according to the
definition. Certainly, we can throw out this
definition. However, since God looks at the
heart; God would keep the definition. You see
He would say, what is the reason, this
statement was made; it isn’t said to
console Mary; it is said to impress the other
person—that Mary told me,
also. This is a form of pride. The Bible
tells us that Pride was Satan’s
stumbling block. Practically speaking, Pride
is our stumbling block, also.
Did you know that God
dislikes intently, a “gossip”. Look
in your Bible. There are many reference about
God speaking against gossiping. No
place does it say to share personal
information about another person. In fact, if
we go to Proverbs 17:4, we find that God even
calls someone who listens to
“gossip” an “evildoer”
and a “liar”. Those are not words I
want God using to refer to me. You say that
is in the Old Testament and the New
Testament, is clear that God loves us and
understands we are not perfect. At this
point, it looks like we have some burred
lines of understanding. Indeed, God is Love.
And that is shown throughout the Bible.
However, just because He loves us,
doesn’t mean He is a doormat, and
anything and everything we do is fine with
Him. God does not give His blessing for us to
go and sin. If we love God, we will want to
know Him and do His Will. Our Savior, Jesus
Christ clearly states we are to love God and
we are to love others as we love
ourselves. ( Read the Book of John).
Have you read James 3,
recently? Verse 8 states “ But the
tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil,
full of deadly poison” (KJV). So
why not spend a day paying attention to what
you say to others–to Family, Friends,
and strangers. By the way, it isn’t
necessary to focus more on what others say
and how bad that is. No, just focus on your
words and compare them to the Bible. This is
an area in which every Christian needs some
work.
Written by: Janet L. Walker
