Gossip Separates Friends

A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;gossip separates the best of friends.

Proverbs 16:28

Today let’s have an honest, heart-to-heart talk about gossip. God hates gossip. Let’s lock that in right up front.

First of all, gossip is not helpful. What good does it do to know something bad, especially when you can’t do anything about it?

A very clear command of the Lord is to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12, KJV). May I ask, What part of gossip, negative talk, critical comments, and slander do you want people to do to you? So think before you speak. What is your motive?

It’s not fair. I never want to hear something about someone behind their back. That’s not fair. The scriptural pattern is, if there is something wrong, take it to that person privately.

Human nature tends to believe the negative. If you just hear one side to a story, it sticks with you, and you can start to doubt someone you valued or trusted before. Gossip can separate even the best of friends.

So what can we do and what should we do when someone brings up negative gossip? Well, abruptly change the subject. Don’t give a listening ear. When someone persists, I have actually left the room, politely but determinedly. And pray, pray that the Lord corrects the wrong, and pray that the Lord will wash your heart and make you a vessel of words of grace, not words of gossip and garbage.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Are you wondering why there are so many proverbs that address slander and gossip? Maybe it’s because there is so much slander and gossip. We are desensitized. If you watch any popular sitcom on TV, mocking people is the norm. No friendship or relationship is sacred. Reality shows, Hollywood tabloids, talk shows, and really almost every show on TV has a running dialogue of cutting others down. The more we watch these things, the more it becomes the norm for us.

Let’s Pray

Lord, wake me up and shake me up. I don’t want to become just like the world. Please help me notice and then refuse to listen to gossip in both TV and in real life. Then, most of all, help me not be the one who speaks it.

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 5:1–6:38; Acts 7:1-29; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 16:28-30