"Avoid Godless Chatter"

2 Timothy 2:16                                                                                                                                     "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly."

Do you think gossip matters to God? According to His word it surely does.

We all at some point have been in situations when the center of the conversation is revolving around a person who is "not in the conversation." Now this does not mean that all conversations are considered gossip.
Maybe something happened to this person of interest and before you know it you are caught up in someone else's opinion of another' s bad luck.
Maybe some of these accounts" or "charges" being made against the person spoken about were wrong and it really wasn't true at all.

Paul Scott, author of "The Day of the Scorpion" wrote, "Ah, well, the truth is one thing, but in a way it's the other thing, the gossip, that counts. It shows where people's hearts lie."
Isn't that the cold hard truth?

Gossip is a frequent topic in the Bible. Obviously God knows that it's going to take awhile before His opinion about it sinks in. He is right as always!

Jesus' half-brother, James, wrote, "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) James understood the danger of gossip better than any of Jesus' disciples. Jesus spent his entire life with James, so James probably knew Jesus better than anyone, including his own mother. He also knew that gossip helped to perpetuate the hatred and envy that destroyed his brother. I think that's why James devoted a portion of the book of James to teach us about the nature of gossip. He saw firsthand what can happen when the flames of hatred are fanned by gossip. I think that's why he said, "the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider that a forest is set on fire by a small spark." (James 3:5)

The above illustrates how damaging gossip can be. Proverbs 16:28 says,"A perverse person stirs up conflict and gossip separates close friends." Many of us have been willing participants in conversations such as, "Did you hear what happened to so-in-so last night?" or "Have you seen the way he looks at her? Well, I heard...."  No matter whom you share these conversations with, gossip rarely has a positive outcome. You all of a sudden take a seat in a chair that only belongs to God.

While gossip may seem harmless, it can actually be destructive, and it is not pleasing to God. As Christians we are instructed in Col. 4:6 to "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." While gossip may not be full of grace, is it too extreme to consider it a sin?

The words we chose to say when speaking of others in a negative form can cause serious wounds to those spoken about. I would hate to think my words could turn someone away from serving God.
Remember, you are dealing with people's lives and you will be held accountable for every word that proceeds your mouth.

Proverbs 27:17 tells us that "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." This illustrates the type of relationships we should seek. It also challenges us to spend time with those who have a positive impact on us.

~Sister C

Favor -vs- Divine Favor

"One day of favor can be worth more than a lifetime of labor. And favor can restore in a day what was stolen over a lifetime."

"When the enemy plots your demise, your King is planning your reward!"

~Tommy Tenney

Favor itself can be a reward, approval, or goodwill gesture. Often meaning someone taking a liking to another-thus showing them favor. But the "divine" added to the word "favor" makes it a different category.

Divine favor is nothing like the temporary favor of man. Devine means "from God."

Do you seek God's favor, even when it appears as though he's placed you in a adverse situation?

Nehemiah was a devoted servant to the Lord. He was called by God to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem. As cupbearer to the king he ask the Lord to give him favor with the ruler, so he could complete his God given assignment. "Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." (Nehimiah 1:11 NIV)

Here we learn an important bible principal. That God will grant us favor with others when it will help us carry out His will and plan.

It's true that believer's who are really committed to God will sometimes experience criticism and persecution. Jesus said we can count on it. He wanted us to know what we were getting into when we made the decision to follow Him. If we are making a difference for God, we can't expect Satan to sit back and do nothing to try to hinder us. But the bible teaches us that we can pray for God's favor, which is a powerful weapon against the enemy's attacks. Psalms 89:17 says, "Our power is based on your favor." (NLT) And Psalms 9:12 says, "Surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; you surround them with Your favor as with a shield." (NLV)

Esther 5:2..."And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter."

I would like to point out that it says she "drew near." You see it's when we draw near to Him that things begin to change. We can not expect God's true divine favor if we are standing in the outer court if looking in. We must join Him in the inner courts with our praise and our adoration to Him.

Esther had entered the throne room uninvited and unless the king stretched out His royal scepter, (a sign of favor extended) it would mean death to one entering. So He either stretched out His divine favor of approval or He would shout His order of disapproval. For Esther, she had wait for the royal invitation - for us, the royal invitation awaits! We as God's children can come boldly to throne without an invitation. So glad to be a new testament christian. 

Why are we so slow at times to come into His throne room? Esther touched the tip of the royal scepter in exchange for the king's favor - have you touched the tip of the divine scepter?

We are all given the same opportunities. Even thou He grants favor, He does not show favoritism.

So enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; His scepter awaits you!

~Sister C