What Does Gossip Do?
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up others . . . Ephesians 4:29
Dave and Tim were best friends until last summer. Dave made the soccer team. Tim didn't. Tim was angry, hurt and jealous. So Tim said some words to other people he never should have said.
Tim told Dustin, "The only reason Dave made the soccer team is because his dad is friends with the coach." He told Sarah, "Dave will ruin the soccer team. He's too fat to run fast." Soon, Dave heard what Tim was saying about him. Now he was hurt and angry. Dave and Tim were no longer friends. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:28, " . . . gossip separates close friends."
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People who gossip tell your secrets. Tim told Dave that he felt so bad about not making the team that he cried. Should Dave tell others about that? No! Proverbs 11:13 says, "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret."
God hears the words you say when you gossip. He knows the harm you have done. One day God will ask, "Why did you say that?" God says in Matthew 12:36, "But I tell you that men will have to give an account . . . for every careless word they have spoken." Remember that, and you will not gossip.
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