Heard It from a Freind

Proverbs 15:4

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

 Two ladies in the community gossiped about one of their friends. They found out later that they were wrong, but her reputation had been greatly scarred. They went to their pastor and asked what they should do--how they could correct the problem and seek forgiveness.

He said, “Go take the feathers out of a pillow, go a mile away from your house, then walk back, scattering the feathers.”

They came back, after doing that, and said, “We did what you said, but we don't understand.”

He said, “Now I want you to go back and pick up all the feathers.” They said, “Well, there's no way we can do that. Those feathers have gone everywhere.” He said, “What you said about the lady and the words that you spoke against her are like those feathers. Whatever you say or do, you can never bring them all back together. As those feathers went to the wind, so your idle words have gone to the winds and have hurt her reputation.”

What is it about gossip that thrills our hearts? The grocery stores are filled with tabloid magazines filled with gossip. Want to write a bestselling book? Write a tell-all book about a famous person and watch it soar to the top of the bestseller list?

The worst form of gossip is “spiritual gossip.” It often begins like this: “We need to keep this confidential, but we really need to pray for…” We then proceed to spend considerable time talking about this person and very little (if any) time prayer for this individual.

Remember, it is not a compliment that people feel free to share their gossip with you. (Read that sentence again.) Moreover, those who gossip with you will just as surely gossip about you.

Application:

• In what ways have you been fooling yourself regarding purity?
• Ask God to examine your heart.  What has He revealed to you? 

1 Chron. 28:9     Ps. 7:9     Prov. 17:3; 28:26     Jer. 17:5     Matt. 5:27-30

Holy Spirit, search my heart and examine my mind; reveal to me impurities in my life so that I might bear fruit for God’s Kingdom.