Friday, August 26,
2016
Rumors are dainty morsels that sink
deep into one’s heart. Proverbs 18:8(NLT)
It was so long ago when I read words
that stung, instructed, appalled, and changed me. The words were by Alan Redpath, a pastor and
author who wrote, I once formed a mutual
encouragement fellowship at a time of stress in one of my pastorates. The members subscribed to a simple formula
applied before speaking of any person or subject that was perhaps
controversial.
T – Is it TRUE?
H – Is it HELPFUL?
I – Is it INSPIRING?
N – Is it NECESSARY?
K – Is it KIND?[ii]
The meaning, of course, centers on
the Biblical criteria for passing information along about someone who is not
present to hear the words.
I wish I could play the tapes of all
my life’s conversations in an instant, and find that I have never been guilty
of gossip. I know that’s not
possible. I am as guilty as any of
you. But there is one thing I can do about
gossip; I can refuse to be part of it in the future. I can squash it whenever it comes my
way.
I can ask God to help me tame my
tongue. I am one who needs that help.
What do you do when someone is trying
to unload some gossip in your
direction? Bill Gothard suggests that we
should ask five questions before listening to a carrier of an evil report:
1.
What is your reason for telling me?
Widening the circle of gossip only compounds the problem.
2.
Where did you get your
information? Refusal to identify the source of
information is a sure sign of an evil report.
3.
Have you gone to those directly
involved? Spirituality is not measured by how
well we expose an offender but by how effectively we restore an offender.
4.
Have you personally checked out all
of the facts? Even facts become distorted when not
balanced with other facts or when given with negative motives.
5.
Can I quote you if I check this out?
On this last, and most important
question, when a person is not willing to have his or her words brought into
solving the problem…chances are about 100% they really don’t want to help the
person – they really just want to gossip.
They’ve got what the Proverb writer called a dainty morsel sunk
deep into their heart, and they just can’t wait to feel the power rush of
blabbing it all over town.
For You Today
If you’ve found yourself at times tempted with spreading
rumors and gossip, here’s a good way to begin the day, so you can begin to
break the habit, pray like this:
Lord, help me guard my tongue this one day;
Help me to bless others with what I say, not curse;
Lord, make me an instrument of peace,
not one who separates brothers and
close friends with what I say.
Lord, help me tame my tongue!
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