When the fire goes out

When the fire goes out

Bible: Proverbs 26:17-28

Reading

Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down (V.20).

When a fire finishes burning through wood, it goes out. In the same way, when gossip reaches the ear of someone who will not repeat it, it dies. Gossip is like “tasty trifles” (PROVERBS 26:22 NKJV). We like to hear it and share it with others because it ‘tastes’ good. Gossip is all about our need to feel good about ourselves. As we bring others down we feel like we are moving upward; like we’re better than them. That’s why spreading gossip is so difficult to turn away from. It takes prayer and God’s strength to bring us to the point where we refuse to pass it on or even hear it. It can be easy to gossip and cover it up as ‘concern’ or as a prayer request for someone in a mess. That’s why we need God’s help to call gossip what it really is: hurtful and selfish.

We must ask God for the wisdom to know when to speak, what to speak and when to simply keep our mouths shut. “Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues” (PROVERBS 10:19). It is often a good idea to be quiet and speak few words. But if we must speak, let’s talk of those things that encourage and move others closer to God, not those things that will upset and hurt them. “The tongue of the wise brings healing” (12:18).

DESTROY GOSSIP BY IGNORING IT.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries