Let’s Not Gossip

It is foolish to belittle a neighbor;a person with good sense remains silent.A gossip goes around revealing secrets,but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.

Proverbs 11:12-13

Chuck Swindoll once quoted an epitaph from an English country tombstone: “Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young, who on the 24th of May began to hold her tongue.”

Arabella Young must have been a gossip. I wonder who wrote her epitaph? Was it someone whose reputation or whose friendships had been damaged because Arabella just plain talked too much?

Maybe—and now I’m going to say this with a sad pang in my heart—but maybe Arabella went to prayer meetings and brought up juicy little scraps of bad news so that everyone could be “praying about it.” But have you noticed that sometimes we talk about the problems of others more than we pray about the problems of others? Shame on us. Arabella should have known that God is definitely against gossip, and we should be too. In fact, the Proverbs address the sins of the tongue over sixty times.

On the other hand, “those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.” Johann Lavater once said, “Never tell evil of a man if you do not know it for certainty, and if you know it for a certainty, then ask yourself, ‘Why should I tell it?’”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Is it really a big deal if we gossip just a little bit, and only with our closest friends? Let’s let Jesus answer: “But I tell you that men [and women] will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36, NIV). Therefore, what can we do when others turn the conversation to backbiting and slander? Turn the tide. Shoot an arrow prayer: “Lord, help me to say something positive about that person.” You’ll see; God will give you wisdom in that moment. If the gossipers continue, kindly excuse yourself, leaving one less person to participate in their unholy huddle.

One Year Bible Reading

Numbers 22:21–23:30; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 11:12-13