‘Keep your tongue from evil…’
Psalms 34:13 Did you hear about the three women who decided to confess their weaknesses to each other? The first confessed to drinking too much. The second confessed to being jealous of a friend’s good looks. The third said nothing, so the other two pressed her and asked, ‘Okay, what’s your weakness?’ Finally she answered, ‘It’s gossip, and I can’t wait to get out of here and talk about you two!’ Now let’s get serious. The Bible has strong words when it comes to the subject of gossip: ‘He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin’ (Proverbs 13:3 NIV). ‘If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless’ (James 1:26 NIV). ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil’ (1Peter 3:10 NIV). Gossip is like mud thrown against a wall—it may not stick, but it leaves a dirty mark. And that mark can last a lifetime! So before you take aim, check your target. Ask yourself how much damage you’ll inflict and how you’ll feel about it afterwards. Solomon said, ‘The tongue has the power of life and death and those who love it will eat its fruit’ (Proverbs 18:21 NIV). Did you get that? You will ‘eat your words’. You’ll reap the harvest you sow, good or bad. Bottom line: if you’re looking for faults, look in the mirror. When you work on your own shortcomings, you’ll have no time left to gossip about anybody else’s.
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