“A Gossip Proof Life”
I am continually amazed at just how many scriptures there are in God’s word about OUR words. The Bible says what comes from our mouths have come from our hearts. “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Matthew 6:45b) So you can tell a lot about a person by simply listening to them. Their words will reveal what is in them. The Bible also says that we are either speaking life or death. “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (Proverbs 18:21)
How is it that so many times we love to point out the very “obvious” sins of others like adultery, drunkeness, sexual immorality, homosexuality, abortion, but we fail to see gossip as it truly is-evil!
“Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. (Romans 1:28-39)
I agree it is no easy task sometimes to watch our mouths (James 3) but the word of God commands us to! “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” Wow! We can talk all we want (no pun intended) but if we don’t control our tongue the word of God says our religion is worthless!
What can gossip do?
1. Separate close friends
“A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.” (Proverbs 16:28)
How many friendships have been wrecked and ruin because of someone planting seeds of strife? Maybe it was someone who planted seeds of doubt, disrespect, unneccesary words into anothers ears and it literally stripped the other person’s reputation from them? How many times has someone offended us and instead of going directly to that person to make peace we went to three or four other person’s first (to get their opinion of course and to pray for them) and causing division in the midst before ever getting around to the person with whom we were offended?
“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again…” (Matthew 18:15-16)
2. Tell secrets
“A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.” (Proverbs 20:19)
How many times has someone entrusted something to you and you betrayed that trust? Or maybe you have entrusted a struggle, sin, or something very close to your heart with someone only to find out they told your “secret”?
“A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.” (Proverbs 11:13)
The Bible commands us not to hang around with chatterers.
What can holding our tongue do?
1. Keep us from ruin and give us long life.
“Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.” (Proverbs 13:3)
2. Become wise
“Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.” (Proverbs 17:28)
“A truly wise person uses few words.” (Proverbs 17:27)
3. Put out fires
“Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.” (Proverbs 26:20)
A fire cannot continue to burn without wood. It’s the same that gossip can’t continue if we don’t feed it and/or refuse to listen to it.
4. Acquit us
“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgement day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” (Matthew 12:36)
Since we must give an account of every idle word that has come out of our mouth it’s no wonder James said below…
“You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” (James 1:19)
Lord, help us to control our tongues!
