Reading your Bible for today November 1

November 1: Proverbs 11:12-13

KJV Key Verse: Proverbs 11:13
13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Devotion:
“did you know...”, “did you hear...”, “wow, I just found out...”, “I think they are...”, “they said...”, “I don't like them since I found out...”. The list is endless – the comments we make about others without thinking. They just tend to roll off the tongue without a second thought...

We have all heard the saying I used to say when I was young “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me”. I can remember saying that to people to try and get them to stop talking about me – sometimes it would work, but more often than not they would confront me with the words to see what I would do! If I had taken too much notice of some of those people in my life, I'm sure that they would have upset me!

But no matter how many things we find out about which people are saying involving us in some way, we still carry on and talk about other people as well – we get carried away with the moment and say things that we ought not to, or blurt out things we should not because someone else has upset us. We even go as far as “bending the truth” to make someone else look bad after they have done something against us... Human nature... who would have it!

Have you been on the receiving end of gossip lately? How does it make you feel to be the centre of abuse? You may think that is too harsh a word, but what is happening? When we are at the centre of things, others are doing exactly what we have done... Bending the truth, leaking secrets, even blatant lies! People around us are breaking down what trust we may have built up with others in seconds – trust that may have taken years to build up. One sure way to upset someone who moves in next to you is to spread a bit of gossip about what happened to them when they moved in! Not only do you immediately build up grief between you, but you may well have put them back a few years!

Points to Ponder:
How many words does it take to destroy a person?

Jesus gave it all without gossip because He loves you?