Spread Love, Not Gossip

Today's our last Devotional on Rejection of Gossip, Slander, Lies and Discord and yes, we can imagine your collective sighs. While each devotional was challenging, we pray that you've committed this scripture to memory and will live by it!

“And then there’s sister Sarah. Ain’t she sweet? She gets the word next thing you know it’s in the streets. By the time it’s been repeated all the truth has been deleted what a shame!” These are lyrics from the song “Spread Love," by Take 6. They ring so true. Gossip and slander undermine and destroy a person’s reputation. The Bible also uses words like slander and backbiting. So what exactly is gossip?

Gossip: the spread of unrestrained conversation or reports about other people that are usually of a personal or intimate nature that has not been confirmed to be true. Gossip breaks the 8th Commandment: Exodus 20:16  “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Make no mistake about it, spreading gossip and slandering is a sin! The Hebrew word, “nirgan” means to whisper maliciously. It denotes complaint and criticism. When used in the Bible, especially in Proverbs, it damages relationships. (Proverbs 16: 27-28; Proverbs 17:9). How uncomfortable do you feel when you are in close proximity of two or more people whispering things to each other that you can’t hear? Does it make you wonder who and what they’re talking about? Or even if they are talking about you?

Since gossip usually involves subject matter about a person’s personal intimate life, we should not be partakers of it. Listening and entertaining the gossiper and gossip should not be tolerated by the children of God since we are not getting it directly from the source, but from secondhand or even 3rd and 4th hand sources (Proverbs 20:19). The Bible admonishes us in Proverbs 4:24 to “put away from you a deceitful mouth.” Instead we should Pursue peace with all people, and holiness” (Hebrews 12:14). Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” So Saints lets show unity in love by not entertaining gossip or the gossiper and guard our hearts and tongues by the power of the Holy Spirit.

To finish the song by Take 6 “What the world needs now is love, more love is what we need.” So spread love, not gossip!

Prayer: Dear LORD, we thank You for Your Word and how it teaches us to love one another and to guard one another. We realize that speaking falsely against our brothers and sisters is totally against what You would have us to do. Help us to not just tame our tongues but to guard our heart against desiring to spread things we have heard. Also help us to guard our ears that we might not entertain personal information about someone without their permission. Let us, in love, go to anyone who has loose lips that we might help them to grow in the areas of confidentiality and care for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen!
Min. Arnell Carter