Are you The Hub or The Club?
What is the source of gossip? Usually it is unfulfilled people trying to lift themselves up at the expense of someone else. They may be unfulfilled about how they perceive themselves and/or unfulfilled in their relationship with the Lord. What seems so small and unimportant in gossip is huge in the impact it can have after going to the second source, and then the third, and so on. Information gets left out and information is added and suddenly the whole thing is out of control. Look at what just a few scriptures in Proverbs tells us about the effects of gossip…
A gossip betrays a confidence,but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
A perverse man stirs up dissension,and a gossip separates close friends.
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.
A gossip betrays a confidence;so avoid a man who talks too much.
Without wood a fire goes out;without gossip a quarrel dies down.
John wrote in his third letter, “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” It all comes down to pride. It is pride that causes us to want to be first. There is only one first and His name is Jesus. Keep him first and all the other things fall into place.
The question to you, and to myself, is are you The Hub or The Club? I want to be The Club. Join with me and help keep me accountable by being a part of The Club that wars against the plague called gossip. The gospel will be better served when we get a handle on gossip.
David Warren
Worship Pastor