Do we examine what comes from our lips?
Proverbs 17:4--Before we "blink" past this proverb, it's relevant to point out that "wicked lips" don't have to spread lies--they can just as easily cause harm with gossip and rumors.
There are enough studies out there to indicate a lot of people listen to gossip and rumors. A study out of the University of Amsterdam says 90% of office chatting is centered around gossip. "It's a way for workers to bond." Really?
Knowing someone else's information without their permission seems to give people a sense of power.
It's so rampant that magazines and television programs have developed more than a $3 billion industry dedicated to celebrity gossip. We have the "power" to get and give the personal information of the wealthy and celebrated--souls we don't even personally know.
So, it would seem, my friends, "wicked lips" are more active than we think.
How about within our congregations, fellowships, and ministries? I suspect the chatter in the pews, sewing circles, and prayer meetings have damaged as many lives as those who chat around the water cooler.
Honestly, it isn't always easy to know when we are giving or receiving lies, gossip, or rumors.
A liar does not understand or care about the value of truth. They play with it--manipulate it. They steal it for their own purposes. It makes them feel they are in control of others' fate.
As children of the Most High, we do understand that truth is sacred. We've all been damaged by the father of lies. But, I'm thinking, we don't always see the subtleties of deception and how it can sneak into the way we treat truth.
How do we examine truth? Can understanding the value of truth keep us from mistreating it?
It's impossible for this little blog to place this understanding under a spiritual microscope. To dissect it and see how each component works. And, we all have our weaknesses--how deception can figure into our misuse of truth.
Perhaps the best way to begin is to watch what we say about others. If we have their permission to speak about them, even then treat that information carefully. Then pray that the LORD will guard our lips (Psalm 141:3) as we better learn how to be a good steward of truth.
That's a good place to begin, don't you think?
May the LORD keep watch over our lips, my friends.
Proverbs 17:4--An evildoer listens to wicked lips; a liar listens to a malicious tongue. Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible#tlvproverbs
[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
There are enough studies out there to indicate a lot of people listen to gossip and rumors. A study out of the University of Amsterdam says 90% of office chatting is centered around gossip. "It's a way for workers to bond." Really?
Knowing someone else's information without their permission seems to give people a sense of power.
It's so rampant that magazines and television programs have developed more than a $3 billion industry dedicated to celebrity gossip. We have the "power" to get and give the personal information of the wealthy and celebrated--souls we don't even personally know.
So, it would seem, my friends, "wicked lips" are more active than we think.
How about within our congregations, fellowships, and ministries? I suspect the chatter in the pews, sewing circles, and prayer meetings have damaged as many lives as those who chat around the water cooler.
Honestly, it isn't always easy to know when we are giving or receiving lies, gossip, or rumors.
A liar does not understand or care about the value of truth. They play with it--manipulate it. They steal it for their own purposes. It makes them feel they are in control of others' fate.
As children of the Most High, we do understand that truth is sacred. We've all been damaged by the father of lies. But, I'm thinking, we don't always see the subtleties of deception and how it can sneak into the way we treat truth.
How do we examine truth? Can understanding the value of truth keep us from mistreating it?
It's impossible for this little blog to place this understanding under a spiritual microscope. To dissect it and see how each component works. And, we all have our weaknesses--how deception can figure into our misuse of truth.
Perhaps the best way to begin is to watch what we say about others. If we have their permission to speak about them, even then treat that information carefully. Then pray that the LORD will guard our lips (Psalm 141:3) as we better learn how to be a good steward of truth.
That's a good place to begin, don't you think?
May the LORD keep watch over our lips, my friends.
Proverbs 17:4--An evildoer listens to wicked lips; a liar listens to a malicious tongue. Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible#tlvproverbs
[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
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