Hammer on Anvil '

Gossip is a word all Christians recognize as bad. It is also something many Christians struggle with.

First of all, it's everywhere. Magazines at the counters of every store scream headlines-you can't help but look. Most of the major internet home pages contain links to a website devoted to gossip. (And I have found myself there more times than I'd like to mention). Even our daily news programs on television and radio have gossip segments. (My favorite is called 'celebrity crap')

Another problem is that many times it is disguised as something else in our lives. When we share concerns in our Sunday school class, it is easy and fairly common to offer up more information than our Christian friends need to know in order to pray for the situation. Sometimes, we don't recognize that we are disguising our gossip as a 'prayer request'.

I am no saint when it comes to this topic. As you can read from my comments above, I struggle with this subject even now, years after I made an agreement with the Lord to stay away from gossip. Paul writes to the Ephesians: "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." 4:29. I believe, though I would never presume to change the Bible, that the heart of this issue goes a little something like this: Let no unwholesome thought proceed from your heart.

I have been spending some time recently with Christian friends who embody this concept. Just by looking at them and talking to them, you can tell they harbor no unwholesome thoughts about anyone. On first evaluation of people like this, it can be perceived as naivety. After closer consideration, I have found it refreshing, and quite admirable. With a person like this, there is a level of honesty you don't find anywhere else. There's no guessing if they are thinking something bad about you when they are saying something good. In a friendship with this person, you can relax. Which is how it should be.

I want to challenge all of us to take a good look at our "thought life". The Bible tells us that what comes forth from our mouths is born in our hearts. Whether or not the words are actually spoken, the thoughts are just as poisonous to ourselves as well as our relationships. The basic attitude of Christianity is to see people the way Jesus sees them. That includes ourselves, (self-esteem), our Christian friends (brothers and sisters in Christ), our non-Christian friends (our mission field) and our enemies. We can tame our tongues in public, but unless we allow God to soften our hearts, we will not develop loving relationships, with Him or the people of His creation.

Romans 14:19 - "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building of one another." The message says "So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. help others with encouraging words; don't drag them down by in finding fault."







Paul is writing about some arguments on what to eat and what not to eat... but the application of this verse is solid. Before I continue, I want to ask you something: Who are you surrounding yourself with that provide words of life, encouragement, and accountability? Life with Christ demands that we love his bride (the church). Worship is not sitting in Starbucks in your v-neck and Toms and discussing the latest Rob Bell book or the latest Mark Driscoll sermon. This life was not intended to be lived out alone. Are you making it a priority to engage the Lord in worship?
We are in a culture that wants to connect so bad, and spends so much time attempting to do so 'virtually." We are continually texting, on facebook, on chat, reading blogs, etc...
BUT WE LACK REAL CONNECTION. That was simply a bonus for you today.






My commentary and application to the verse we started with: We are so good at finding faults in others. it can be so trivial as what people are wearing or what they say or who we spend time with. the truth is this... If we spent half of the energy we use in finding faults and judging - if we spent it TRYING to get along - then we would save ourselves a lot of grief and as a result - be closer to God.

So the challenge is to WORK at getting along. we need to focus on the common ground and invest the energy in doing what God wants us to do. So let's all agree ... Let's invest the energy... Let's not be a astumbling block.