He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. (Proverbs 17:9, NKJV) When we love the people in our lives, we will not reveal their transgressions. We will not talk behind their backs gossiping about them with others. The definition of gossip is “idle…
“The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body” (Proverbs 18:8, English Standard Version). Everyone probably has a favorite food—that special something we allow ourselves as a treat. I have two: chocolate and ice cream. Combine them together and yum!…
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“You are what you eat from your head down to your feet.”
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This popular slogan taught that a person’s physical health was determined by what they ate.
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“You are what you say, so guard your mouth today” could have been Jesus’ slogan.
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READ: Matthew 15:11 from the Amplified Bible, “It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that makes him unclean and defiled. It’s what comes out of his mouth; this makes him unclean and defiles him.” Jesus was teaching that a person’s spiritual health was determined by what they said.
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Do you gossip or criticize others? Take the “Mouth Check Challenge!” See if you can go an entire day with only speaking words of kindness and encouragement. The easier it is for you to speak positive, uplifting words the healthier your spirit is.
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Prayer: Jesus, forgive me for using negative words. Help me be spiritually healthy by talking positive. Amen.
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Devotion by Debbie Simler-Goff
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“A talebearer revealeth secrets; but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter” (Proberbs 11:13).
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In the information age that we live in, it seems as if there are no secrets anymore—especially when it comes to the personal lives of those in the public eye.
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In the past, the magazines or other news media that exposed private (and often humiliating or embarrassing) details of people’s lives were considered tabloids and frowned upon by the other respectable news outlets. But not anymore. The boundary lines of decency have been erased, and it is a race between all the news media to see who can be the first to publish or broadcast the “scoop.”
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At the first sign of a bulge in a female celebrity’s stomach, the news media begin to publish questions about whether she is pregnant. Maybe she has just put on a little weight, but the rumor mill is already off and running. If she actually is pregnant, just wait a few weeks and you will know the sex of the baby, the due date, where it will be born, and a myriad of other details, usually reserved for family and close friends. We are also privy to information about the intricacies of people’s marriages, infidelities, subsequent divorces, and remarriages that really is none of our business.
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Because we have so many “talebearers” that have crafted “revealing secrets” into a fine art, it has developed into a public pastime that has bled over into our own personal lives. It is increasingly difficult to find people who do not delight in spreading gossip about others. But the Bible gives us strong admonition to discipline ourselves to not be a talebearer, or repeat everything that we hear. Proverbs 17:9 says, “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”
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Proverbs 26:20-22 says, “Where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” Don’t be a talebearer! Be a faithful person who knows how to keep secrets!”
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Written by Beth Dillon