gossip – Be Still…

James 4:11-12 – Judging Others

Read James 4:11-12

Short and powerful is how I’d describe this reading. With each new passage, we start to see the troubles James’ audience was facing. The people in his day must have been condemning each other in order to feel superior. It’s quite possible you have already encountered a judgmental person in your life.

James didn’t spend a lot of time on the subject of judging others, but he did not sweep it under the rug either. When we look around our communities today, it seems like one group or another is feeling marginalized or “judged” for some reason. Could it be that group is just “feeling” judged but no one is actually judging them? Clearly, they haven’t read these verses in a while.

Psalm 15:1-5 💜 Am I Good Enough?

Read Psalm 15:1-5

How does God desire us to live? That’s the theme we’re investigating now. It seems our psalmist is asking the question, “who is good enough to worship God?” In other words, he’s asking God to set some standards or expectations.

God calls his people to be obedient. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we can’t help but be transformed. When the Spirit is alive and well inside us, we will crave to please God. These verses give us a glimpse into sinful behaviors we should be aware of.

Proverbs 26:13-28 – Don’t Tell Tales

Read Proverbs 26:13-28

We’ve probably all sat around a campfire at one time or another in our lives. I have vivid memories at Bible camp, when camping with the family, and even sitting in the backyard hovered over someone’s raging fire pit. I can almost smell the smokey aroma left in my clothes. And who could forget the s’mores!? But when the wood is gone, so is the fire.

I liked verse 20 today because it conjured up these campfire memories, singing songs, and relaxing in nature under the stars. We read, “Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.” This isn’t the first time we’ve been cautioned against gossip or telling of tales. Remember that gossip is telling negative information (tales) about someone to either hurt them or impress a hearer with the news. It does not matter whether the information is true.

Proverbs 20:1-13 – Avoid Gossip

Read Proverbs 20:1-13

Gossip is rampant in our world. There are whole magazines, television shows, and other media devoted to it. Why is it so popular? I suppose because gossip takes the focus off of our own problems and challenges. When we can spread “news” about others and their struggles, feelings, conversations, etc., we somehow feel better about ourselves.

But Solomon warns us in verse 19, “A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.” Avoid them. Don’t be like them. We should seek to build each other up, not tear them down.