Knowing God - Exodus 20:16

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Thou shalt not bear false witness

against thy neighbor.

Exodus 20:16

 

One of the comic strips that I remember from childhood was about the "bodacious hillbilly" Snuffy Smith.

 

"Bodacious hillbilly" is how Snuffy's own website describes him. Listen to how it describes his wife: "Loweezy -- Snuffy's adoring wife. The only thing she enjoys more than servin' up tasty vittles to Snuffy and the kids is servin' up a bit of juicy gossip to her best friend, Elviney."

 

Why do we laugh at gossip? It's probably because its so common. We see ourselves and others in this habit. But in laughing, we sometimes excuse the destructiveness.

 

Proverbs 16:28 tells us that "gossip ... plants seeds of strife ... [and] separates the best of friends." Romans 1:29 places it nearly on par with hatred and murder. And Proverbs 25:10 warns that it could become the source of a great fall -- "you [may] never regain your good reputation."

 

But in Proverbs 26:20 we are told that "Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossipstops."

 

Become a firefighter. Always refuse to gossip.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to own a Dalmatian

(i.e. I want to be a fireman)