Zero Tolerance
Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people (V.16 NLT).
Leviticus 19:11-18
Reading
One of our local schools has a “zero tolerance” approach to gossiping. I’m not exactly sure how they stop the students talking behind each other’s backs. But I know they come down hard on anyone they do catch gossiping.
The school says they want their students to talk face to face if they have a problem with each other. That way things can get sorted out quickly.
In the Old Testament, God told His people about His own zero tolerance approach to gossiping (LEV. 19:16). There was no room for His people to spread lies or rumours about each other. King Solomon also warned that saying nasty things about others would have horrible effects. It destroys trust (PROV. 11:13), breaks friendships (16:28; 17:9), gives everyone a bad reputation (25:9-10) and just leads to more and more fighting and arguing (26:20-22). And once gossiping has started, it’s very hard to stop it from causing pain and anger.
Let’s ask God to help us stop saying hurtful things about others. He wants us to set a guard over our mouths so that we’ll instead share the good things we know about everybody. Taking this zero tolerance approach is a great way of standing out for Jesus!
Thinking it over…
What is your instinct when you hear gossip at your school or church? How do you think your friends would react if you didn’t take part in it?
END GOSSIP BY IGNORING IT.
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