I Never Said That!

By Renee Burt

Has someone ever confronted you and said something like, “Hey, I heard that you said this about so and so, and I happen to know it’s not true.” Or it might be even worse, “Hey, I heard you said this about me, and I don’t appreciate it.” At times like those you can feel the blood rush to your head, you feel alarms going off in your head…red alert, red alert…and the usual response? “I never said that!”…when in truth, you did! So how do you avoid that from ever happening again? Don’t say ANYTHING you wouldn’t readily admit to saying, especially to the person who you’re saying it about. Because unless you would feel comfortable saying it within earshot of that person, then can we just call it what it is? Gossip, plain and simple. The Bible actually has a lot to say about gossip, because it’s such an easy trap to fall into. Why? Because if you’re the “gossiper,” it can make you appear to be “in the know.” And if you’re the “gossipee,” (yes, I made that up…it means you’re the listener of the gossip) it can make you somehow feel more important because that person wanted to confide in you. And now, YOU have some interesting “inside info” to share with someone else…confidentially, of course. Whatever! We need to grow up and stop falling for this trap, and instead trap gossiping words and stop spreading them around. So the next time someone comes up and tries to tell you some “inside info?” Just say “no,” and trust me…no, trust His Word, that you’ll save yourself from a whole lot of trouble!

Ecclesiastes 10:20 MSG ~ Don’t bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath, And don’t abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home. Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around. Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.

More devotions from Renee’s Fresh Manna

http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/