"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." ~Solomon
The words of God have been put in my mouth. Indeed; the very words of salvation. I chew and chew and chew on these words like a cow with her cud. But when the words of a gossip are dished up to me, I slurp it down like a hummingbird lapping sugar water. Down they go before I even recognize the poison half the time. I've had to go to Jesus so many times and ask him to help me to love someone after hearing some tidbit from or about them. I've also had to go to him and ask forgiveness for passing along a lie that I'd heard. I've been the subject of gossip and it's a helpless feeling not to be able to defend yourself, knowing that there are people in whom those words are taking root.
I was reading off a list once in Romans that talks about the signs of a depraved mind to someone dear to me. "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice." I continued, "They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful..." "Waait a minute," she gasped, "Gossips are on the list with God-haters?!" Her surprise caught me off gaurd. "Ummm... yep," was my ecclesiastical answer. It was then that I started to watch the course of gossip. It became more and more apparent how destructive it was to both the server and the consumer; yet almost impossible to resist- like choice morsels. I asked the Holy Spirit to remind me to sift what I hear through the filter of unconditional love. I pray that I'm so full of the words of God that not even a choice morsel would be tempting.
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." ~Solomon
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