Thoughts for another day

April 3, 2009.

Today's verse: Pro. 26:20. Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

I spoke to a lady yesterday who calls me regularly to consult on spiritual matters. I encourage this because it’s better to clarify things than form notions that could be dangerous and lead you away from the Lord. It’s happened to many people. I would encourage you also to consult a church elder and a person with the fear of the Lord in case you have a problem, no matter how high your spiritual maturity is; and though I maintain that the best teacher is the Holy Spirit, there are many of us who still need to learn to discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

In the midst of our conversation on sin, she mentioned that she hardly commits any but a bit of gossiping and rumor mongering. The flow of our conversation wasn’t on sin, so I didn’t say anything. But in selecting this as our verse for the day, I thought I’ll reflect on what she said. If you read carefully, it equals rumor mongering and gossiping as leading to a fire. Do you know that many lives have been destroyed because of gossip? Do you realise that other than the evil in the heart of a person, it’s his or her nature to malign and assassinate the character of another person that does the largest damage? Do you know that many people involved in this are not even aware of the damage they are doing and do you know that you could be doing this damage without realising the bad consequences that accrue to the person you gossip about?

The organisation I work with is a Christian organisation; but honestly the amount of garbage that spews from within is amazing. Even before a person can defend himself or herself, the damage to that person’s character is already done. I’ve witnessed how a dear friend of mine, a firm believer with great passion for the gospel was recently slurred and hurt so badly despite being completely innocent. So much so, that he quit the organisation in great pain. My friend, such is the dirt of gossip and tale bearing. It is dangerous and let me tell you, if you indulge in it, it will come back to you. Be careful and get out of the circuit. You will then see peace.