02 Mar Did You Kill Someone Recently?

The title of this post is admittedly provocative. I’m quite sure your answer to the question it poses is “NO”, and you might be surprised or even shocked that I would ask it. So, allow me to pose another question: have you gossiped lately? You see, gossip is murder. It’s character assassination.

Gossip kills families, relationships, churches and other institutions. To understand this, we first need to clearly define gossip. Gossip is when person A is speaking with person B, says something about person C (who isn’t present). It might be true, it might be partially true, or it might be a bald-faced lie. Talking about someone to someone else when they are not present is gossip. The Bible is very clear about gossip:

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. Proverbs 16:28

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips…Romans 1:29

Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. 1 Timothy 5:13

“‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.” Leviticus 19:16

Take special note of Romans 1:29. Paul placed gossip on a list that includes murder. So I would ask you to pray today if:

1. You’ve heard gossip today: Pray that you would hand that loaded weapon back to the person that gave it to you and not point it at anyone else.
2. If you’ve gossiped today: Pray that you have caused no harm and ask for the strength to stop gossiping.
3. If you’re being gossiped about: Pray for those who are gossiping about you. Love them, do not be angry at them. Ask God to soften their hearts.

And if you feel my definition of gossip is too rigid, consider this: the next time someone tells you something about someone who isn’t part of the conversation, ask them if you can go tell the absent person what was just said about them. The reaction of the person who said it will likely tell you all you need to know about the seriousness of gossip.

Pastor Jerry Bader