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
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