Believe the Best – Not the Worst! Don’t Slander

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

1 Cor. 13:6-7 (NIV) “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

We live in an amazing day of technology. What technology can do as far as organizing information and media and the distribution of it is amazing and increasing exponentially. I believe this is happening because God is behind any and every good thing. Proverbs 8:12 reveals, “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.” God gives man good things in the earth to help mankind. One reason He does is for the purpose of furthering His plans in the earth. Technology was given first and foremost to further the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. It will be used for countless other reasons once it exists including Satan perverting the use of it such as with pornography. Even so, God still gives man what is created for good despite those who will wrongfully use it. He knows that if we get into our hearts, we can find and discern right from wrong and make the proper choices. He is there to help us in that. Deut. 30:19 says it like this, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! “

I also believe God gives “witty inventions” to mankind out of His mercy, love, and compassion to help people – even those that don’t believe in Him or live for Him. Advances in the medical field and medicine are all gifts from God.

Another advancement that has come at the hand of technology is incredible statistic keeping. If you are a computer user, some company is almost assuredly keeping statistics on your computer usage and habits. It’s one of the emerging technologies today.

I think if we were able to find out the stats on the most committed sin in the earth, it might surprise us. I believe it would be the sin of slander. Do you know why I think that? Because of how often people get offended and what they do when they get offended. When people get offended, there mouth goes in high gear chewing up and spitting out the person or source of their offense. They talk about the offense over and over which only causes them to re-live it over and over. This then causes their negative emotions about the offense to be refreshed over and over again.

People don’t just slander when they are offended. They slander when they pick up someone else’s offense. They have a friend who has told them the story of the person or thing that’s hurt them and it becomes as if they themselves got hurt. Years ago I had this man in the church who was a womanizer. I saw little evidence of his faith but I saw great evidence of seducing new or vulnerable young Christian women. He got two different ones pregnant. It was obvious that he only saw church as a preying ground. I asked him to leave the church. Another man whom I had known for years and had a good relationship with had become a friend of this man whom I asked to leave the church. He found out and was furious. He wanted to know why. He began to slander me to others making assumptions about why I did what I did. I told him that I wouldn’t discuss why I asked his friend to leave. It wasn’t his business and I would not gossip or share information like that. He eventually left because of picking put his friend’s offense (who was very guilty) and slandering me on the way out.

What is slander? It’s mostly understood as defaming and or spreading false evil reports. Defaming is the destroying of one’s reputation. It’s the giving false and accusing information and spreading negative words against another – ultimately deteriorating one’s reputation.

Leviticus 19:16 says, “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.”

Titus 3:1-2 says, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

I think slander is close to being the sin of the day. The Internet is filled with countless blogs that have no name attached to them. Anonymous people write blogs making accusation after accusation about anyone who disagrees with their view on anything. Some are part of an agenda to destroy people – much like the religious leaders of the day tried to do with Jesus. They have no courage. They will not put their name on the blog. They’ll just spew slander. Unfortunately the world is filled with people who will believe anything they read, especially if it supports their personal view. They are instantly empowered to become continuing carriers of that slander.

The media is the greatest manipulator of slander. They create and spread false evil reports about people before they have ever been convicted of anything. If the people are proven innocent, their reputation is already irreparable. People – Christians and non – jump on the bandwagon of picking up every little evil report that’s put out there, talking about it like it’s absolute truth and letting it become their talking point of the day. Whether it’s Brittney Spears, a national figure, or a televangelist, just because someone makes an accusation is no reason to think about it or repeat it or believe it. What if it was your name and life? Slander destroys character turning the slanderer into unloyal, fickle, shallow, judgmental people. Slander never reflects the love of Jesus Christ.

As today’s Fresh Manna verse says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Make a conscience decision to look for, to think, and to believe the best in people. It will bring out the best in you!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/