~Gossip~

I grinned this morning as I read the title to a "like" page article in Facebook I am connected with: DO NOT READ THIS If You Hate Salacious Gossip. You’ve Been Warned.

There it was in BIG BOLD text. The co-founder went on in the opening paragraph to give warning NOT to read the article if you don't want to read any gossipy news. "I’m serious, you guys. Don’t you dare read this AND THEN come after me for spreading gossip, because I’m warning you in advance that that’s precisely what this post is all about. And if that isn’t something that sits well with your conscience, please just close this post, and save your breath,..." Really? Address it as gossip and expect people not to read it? She gave warning! The reader had a choice; to move on or to read on.

In the course of conversations with some people, they won't give you a warning; "okay guys I am going to talk about (whomever) but you can walk away if you want or you can stay and listen to the juicy details about them I have to share." Conversations begin. People talk! People begin to share "news" about others. You know what? When someone begins to talk about another person(s) in a manner that you know deep, down inside your heart and soul is not uplifting to that other or you know is simply a "story", you do have a choice. You can excuse yourself from the conversation! It may be difficult because you may think, "what will they think of me? Will they think I am judging them?" You know what? So what! Who cares what they think and you may, in stepping away, give courage to someone else who didn't have the "guts" you had to walk away.

Get this, gossip is a sin! You read that correctly. The definition of gossip as found in the dictionary is: idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Oh how it tickles our ears to hear rumors and about private affairs of others. Walk away from that!?! YES!

As I said, gossip is a sin! Okay, so how do we define sin? As is defined in the dictionary: In a religious context, sin is the act of transgression against divine law. Sin can also be viewed as any thought or action that endangers the ideal relationship between an individual and God; or as any diversion from the perceived ideal order for human living. "To sin" has been defined from a Greek concordance as "to miss the mark". Do you want to mess up your relationship with God, follower of Jesus? Just to be in on the details of some juicy rumor or private "story" about someone?

Following his writings about all sorts of sexual sins, Paul includes the following sins:

"28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." ~Romans 1:28-32

Paul includes these more "normal" sins right along with the sexual sins and he lists many more sins along with gossip. There is no "degree" or ranking of sins from "best to worst". Sin is sin! As in the Greek definition...when you sin you miss the mark! As an archer with the arrow shooting at the bulls eye, if he/she is not spot on with aim, the bulls eye is missed. When it comes to your relationship with Jesus, do you really want to "miss the mark" with Him? To get caught up in stupid wrong talk just because it is easy to stay there in the "huddle" of people or you don't want to "miss out" on the "story? Or will you stand out and choose to walk away? Choose to walk away from the sin! Choose keeping a right relationship with Jesus, oh follower of Jesus!

DO NOT STAND there if you want to stay away from sin! There is the BIG BOLD warning! Gossip is sin! Be bold and lead, walk away from gossip! HIT the bulls eye! You can do it...determine in your heart that when someone begins to share about another, you will walk away. Plan ahead in a conversation with Father God as to how you will Hit the Bulls Eye then you will be prepared when gossip begins.