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Today's Devotion

From the Book of Proverbs:

Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly (Prov. 26:20-22).

The dictionary defines gossip as “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.” As bad as that definition sounds however, the true nature of gossip is much, much worse. Gossip is hurtful and destructive; it is a sin against your neighbor, yourself, and God. Despite this fact, gossip runs rampant in the church of today. In fact, the church ranks ahead of most workplaces as a hot-bed of gossip. Why? It is because we temporarily lose our focus on God and our reason for being there. Ironically, many of us gossip in the Lord's name. We tell vicious rumors, but then tack on the words, "I'll pray for him" at the end. The truth is, God can tell the difference between an attack and a prayer request. He knows the motives of our heart. - Continue...