Friday, March 30, 2007
Its funny how some non-Christians would stop themselves from discussing about a person lest it becomes a bitching session while people who claim to know Christ have no qualms airing their misgivings about another brother or sister-in-Christ to others.
Gossip - its so natural, yet so wrong. I constantly struggle with knowing what is gossip and what is not. Often it can be disguised as concern (does " Let's pray for..." sound familiar?). A pastor once mentioned that gossip is when the act of sharing is not part of the solution to the problem.
Gossip is also a way we judge others, which really isn’t our job but God's.
Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
Gossip is also a sign that we are not really active in our faith and in our lives. If you think about it, the busier we are, the less time we have to gossip. We no longer have the time to get wrapped up in someone else’s life. And the Bible warns us against it many times.
1 Timothy 5:13 – “Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.”
Leviticus 19:16 – “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.”
Romans 1:29 – “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips.”
Ephesians 4:29 – “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Proverbs 6:16-19 - "There are six things that the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. "
Even just listening to gossip is wrong!
Proverbs 20:19 - "He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip."
Matthew 12: 36 - "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken."
When someone hurts us, its so easy to just tell a friend about our grievances, to seek comfort. We may mean no ill to the other person, but that is not the way God wants us to handle our problems.
Matthew 18:15 -"And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. "
Or if you know that someone is doing something wrong:
Galatians 6:1 - "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
I may sound like I am advocating confrontation, but I believe that it is what God wants, only if we do so in love and not for vengence or to prove that you are right.
I myself have been at the receiving end of the result of gossip and I do not wish for anyone to go through what I did. It also pains me to see how many get put off by Christianity because of how we as Christians appear to be such hypocrites. Its true that we are human after all, and it is human to err. I admit that I myself am not free of this sin but by the power of Christ, we can overcome it.
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to (countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities