Hope Reflected

Encouragement and Hope from God's Word

Thursday

19

September 2024

Correction is grievous

Written by , Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

“Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.” Proverbs 15:10

A quick scroll of Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter shows us this verse in action; those unfamiliar with social media need only take a look around in the classroom, in the church, and sometimes even in our own homes.

Correction is grievous, or perhaps a better way to state it is that people don’t like being corrected. And it’s no wonder, because accepting correction means admitting we’ve done something wrong, and because of our pride, that’s very difficult for a lot of us.

Correction is for our good

“… he that hateth reproof shall die.” Solomon may have sounded a bit dramatic here, but he was right. Think of it this way: At some point in each one of our lives, we’ve all had a tool or a toy that we’ve broken because we used it the wrong way.

Maybe out of excitement we neglected to read that our electric clippers were only meant for garden grasses and not small tree limbs, or because of youth and inexperience we genuinely didn’t know that driving our new remote control car off a cement ledge would smash it in pieces. Reading the instructions or listening to our parents could have prevented certain destruction.

The same can be said of us.

Correction—though usually painful and never pleasurable—is ultimately for our good, to save us from certain destruction.

What does the Bible say about it?

We read in Scripture that the person who hates correction is stupid (Proverbs 12:1), the person who ignores instruction hates himself (15:32), and people who despise wisdom and instruction are fools (1:7).

Stupidity, hatred, and foolishness are not good characteristics.

On the other hand, the person who loves discipline loves knowledge (Proverbs 12:1), the person who accepts correction gains intelligence (15:32), and whoever listens to instruction is in the way of life (10:17).

What is “the way” that can be either followed or forsaken?

It is the law of God (Ps. 119:1), the way everlasting (139:24), the path that leads to real life (Matt. 7:14).

Jesus Himself said that “narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14). Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and this is why correction is grievous to anyone who forsakes God’s way. The wide gate and the broad way may be filled with fun and seem so alive, but the strait gate and the narrow way is the actually only way to truly find life.

Martin Luther said that “A pastor who fails to deal with sin is like a doctor who fails to deal with illness. You better find another one.” We can’t live our lives fully if we are only pursuing after those things which bring us pleasure.

“We must allow the Word of God to correct us,” A.W. Tozer wrote, “the same way we allow it to encourage us.” Paul didn’t tell us that Scripture is to make us feel good, but rather that it is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

Originally published as “Correction is grievous.” Independent Plus. October 22, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Thursday

20

June 2024

A true friend

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"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." (Proverbs 27:6) | What are the qualities of a true friend? Learn more on hopereflected.com

In addition to death and taxes, something we all have in common is that at some point or another, we have been wounded by someone who we called a friend.

Many of us are also guilty of doing the wounding.

It is so common an occurrence that Solomon wrote in Proverbs 26:24-26, “He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.”

False friends or counterfeit kindness; whatever you want to call it, the world is filled with people who will say one thing to your face and then another behind your back; people who will woo you in order to get something from you.

It’s sad, but it’s true.

The Bible provides us with examples from Joab to Judas, and yet, we’re surprised when we find ourselves deceived and hurt by someone else.

So what are some of the hallmarks of a true friend?

Qualities of a true friend

One characteristic of a true friend is that they are faithful, not flatterers. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:6) Better a friend who reproves our wrongs than one who doesn’t have our best interest at heart.

Judas in the Garden betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and Solomon himself warned that we ought to exercise caution when it comes to flattery. “When he speaketh fair, believe him not” (v. 25).

This doesn’t mean that we should question every time a friend pays a compliment or demonstrates kindness, but it does mean that we need to apply wisdom in who we trust. Someone who uses flattery is typically someone who will use you.

Flattery is disingenuous and to the discerning mind it should be easy to see it for what it is. David wrote that the throat of those who flatter “is an open grave” (Psalm 5:9), and Paul wrote that those who are deceived by flattery are “simple” (Romans 16:18).

Another quality of a true friend? They have control of their emotions and do not let their emotions control them. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer. 19:7), but those “seven abominations” (v. 25) as Solomon referred to them should not control the Christian’s actions. A true friend will not bolster you up in an attempt to bring you down, nor will they bring you down in order to build up themselves. Careful are the reproofs of those who truly care for us.

Proverbs 17:17 says that a friend loves “at all times”—not just when they want something, and not just when the going is good. True friends are consistent, whereas those who attempt to deceive others through flattery and false motives will eventually be exposed. “Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.” (v. 26).

Originally published as “A true friend.” Independent Plus. October 13, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Thursday

2

May 2024

An unlikely source

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"Forgiving one another and forbearing one another; if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." Colossians 3:13 | read more on hopereflected.com

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Colossians 3:13).

In his letter to the Church at Colossae, Paul provided admonition to believers because they were falling into error due to false teaching and wrong living. In this verse, Paul provides practical instruction for anyone dealing with present and past wrongs—we are to forbear and to forgive.

Forbearance is an action word.

Like patience and waiting, forbearance is one of those action words that requires us to exercise restraint.

For the creditor, forbearance is the act of refraining from a legal right, like calling in a debt; for the debtor, forbearance is stopping payments or making alternate payment arrangements for a period of time.

A good turn is not just good for you

On his interpretation of “forbearing one another,” (Colossians 3:13), Matthew Henry wrote that “We have all of us something which needs to be borne with, and this is a good reason why we should bear with others in what is disagreeable to us. We need the same good turn from others which we are bound to show them.”

When you’re playing a board game, a good turn is not just good for you; it helps all the players in the game to move forward. And while in life there are certainly times when showing others a good turn is the very last thing that we are inclined to do—especially during the moment after their turn where they’ve just stirred up frustration and strife—forbearing with others is essential to help us move forward.

An act of mercy

I would suggest that forbearance is a kind of human mercy, our attempt at acting out on our small, measly scale the incomparable mercy that God showed us first on the Cross, and continues to show us each day with His unending compassions.

It is in our sinful nature to give someone who has wronged us what they deserve; to return hurtful word for hurtful word, and frustration for frustration. It is not by our own nature that we give a kind word after someone has given us a hurtful word, or that we offer gratification when someone shows us frustration.

Hallmarks of God’s nature

Forbearance and forgiveness are hallmarks of God’s nature.

It’s only through thanksgiving to Him that we can have any part in these actions. As Matthew Henry wrote, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; it is of his working in all who are his. Thanksgiving to God, helps to make us agreeable to all men.” All men may not be agreeable to us, but when we give thanks to God, it is possible that we can be agreeable to all men.

Forbearance and forgiveness have their roots in thanksgiving, and yet it seems to us thanksgiving is an unlikely source for such actions, even though we have experienced the greatest act of forgiveness that Christ gave us on the Cross, and the forbearance He shows us every day. He gives to us freely and forever, and forbearance and forgiveness to others is the very least thanks that we can give Him.

Originally published as “An unlikely source.” Independent Plus. October 6, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Monday

29

April 2024

Essential to living

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"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) | read more on hopereflected.com

Bread has been around since ancient times and is one of the most basic and fundamental food staples. It’s an important—and enjoyable—food that can be used in versatile ways and that has many variations to accommodate people with all kinds of food allergies and sensitivities.

“Labour not for the meat which perisheth”

Readers of the last two columns are familiar with the miracle in which Jesus turned five barley loaves and two small fishes into a feast for five thousand people (with leftovers, no less!). Jesus had provided a feast that filled these poor, hungry people, and they wanted more.

The multitudes in the passage of John 6 were following Jesus, pursuing after Him with passion because of their own self-interest.

Jesus called them out on their self-serving seeking, saying, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” (John 6:26).

He exhorted them, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” (v. 27).

Seeking after Christ and feasting on His Word

Bread is of no use to us if we don’t make it or go to the store and buy it. Furthermore, bread is no use to us if we just leave it sitting in the bread drawer and we never eat it. It must, as Ellicott wrote in his Commentary for English Readers, be “appropriated and eaten.”

From this, we can draw a similar picture of our relationship with Christ. If we say that we believe in Him, then we should as effect seek after Him and feast on His Word.

What good is it if we claim Christian as our title but we have nothing to show for it?

Thank God, our salvation is not based on good works, but certainly we should have good works to demonstrate as a result of our salvation.

The bread of life

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (6:35).

The bread of life.

Jesus is essential to living.

He is not optional.

He is our only Hope, and of a surety, He is our greatest Hope.

He is the only way to Heaven.

As Matthew Henry wrote, “he is to the Soul what bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life. He is the Bread of God. Bread which the Father gives, which he has made to be the food of our souls.”

The bread of life must be part of our daily life

So many of us are guilty of indulging in a “fast-food” faith.

The bread of life must be a part of our daily life. To be nourished by The Word requires us to dedicate and spend time in His Word. Just as basic hunger and thirst reminds us to feed our physical bodies and stay hydrated, when we find our souls hungry and thirsty, it should serve as a reminder that we must come to Him and we must believe on Him.

Originally published as “Essential to living.” Independent Plus. September 29, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Tuesday

23

April 2024

Without any other motive

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To truly know God we must long for Him without any other motive than reaching God Himself. (A.W. Tozer) | Read more about seeking God on HopeReflected.com

We just read in the preceding verses of John 6 that Jesus fed the people through an incredible miracle—Jesus took five loaves and two fishes and turned them into a feast for thousands. Now the crowd had found Him after much searching and even taking a ship across the sea.

I don’t know about you, but my first question after finding Jesus would likely not be, “Rabbi, when camest thou hither?” (John 6:25). And yet, we read that this is the first question that the people posed to Christ.

Putting it all together

Here is where it all begins to make sense; of course, the people asked, “Rabbi, when camest thou hither?” (John 6:25) when they found him in Capernaum, because they wanted to know how He could have possibly crossed over the sea when He didn’t travel with His disciples, and there was no other boat to carry Him across.

Less than 24 hours before they had witnessed first-hand His miracle of turning five loaves and two fishes into an abundant feast for thousands of people (themselves included), but it didn’t appear to occur to them that Christ could cross the sea in a style reminiscent of Moses or Joshua.

Why not?

Jesus knows what we do and why we do it

It is only in reading Jesus’s answer to the people that we understand.

These people went out of their way to find Christ, not for Christ Himself, but because of what He could do for them. “Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” (John 6:26).

As Matthew Henry so aptly wrote in his commentary, “Christ knows not only what we do, but why we do it.” These people were interested in Christ and wanted to follow after Him “not because he taught them, but because he fed them.”

Examining our motives

The crowd in John 6 were literally hungry, many of them being poor and without food. It did not matter to them how Jesus went about preparing the feast for them, or the means by which He fed them; it mattered to them that they were fed.

As Jesus admonished them, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” (John 6:26).

As we seek after Jesus, are we doing so because of Him, or because of what He can do for us?

We respect Christ, we show reverence for Him, but so often our hearts are not in the right place. Our motives are selfish. We’re more interested in what Christ can do for us than what He can do through us; more interested in the gifts than the Giver, as the old saying goes. Then we wonder why we can’t feel God’s presence and why we feel distant and down. As Tozer wrote, “To truly know God we must long for Him without any other motive than reaching God Himself.”

Originally published as “Without any other motive.” Independent Plus. September 22, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Friday

2

February 2024

Seeking after Christ

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"...if you seek him, he will be found of you;" (2 Chronicles 15:2) | Read more about seeking Christ on hopereflected.com

“When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.” (John 6:24)

The day after the miracle of the five loaves and the two fishes, and Jesus walking on the water, we read more about those that had been affected by the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes.  

This group of people realized that Jesus was no longer with them, and neither were His disciples.

In John 6:24, we read that “When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.”

Noticed by His absence

The people recognized that Jesus was not there with them. Someone may say that during Jesus’s earthly ministry His physical presence would be easy to recognize, as would His absence, but this simple phrase “When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there,” is included in this passage for a reason.

Those who had been fed by the five loaves and two fishes just the day before recognized when Jesus wasn’t with them.

As Christians, how much more ought we to have an understanding of Christ’s presence in our life.

Your first thought may be that sometimes it’s extremely hard to understand Christ’s presence in your life, and I would completely agree. Look at the people in John 6; the reason they knew that Christ was absent from them was that they were actively looking for Him. They saw that the boats were gone, they knew that Jesus didn’t go with His disciples, and they knew that He was no longer with them on their side of the sea (v 22).

During the times when we’re missing Christ’s presence in our life, it is very likely due to the fact that we are not actively looking for Him.

Where should we go to seek out Christ?

In such times, we must, like the people, go on the search.

“When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.” (v 24). The people didn’t just say, “Well, Christ isn’t here, guess we’ll just head home now and go back to our old life,” no, they got in a boat and went to the most likely place where they thought He would be.

How does this translate to our present day?

We should go to the places where Christ is most likely to be found – in His church and with His people.

We should seek Him out through the pages of His Word.

“…if ye seek him, he will be found of you;”

2 Chronicles 15:2

It’s important to note as well that seeking after Christ will not always be easy.

For the people in John 6, most of them were poor, and likely didn’t have much experience traveling by sea, but that is exactly what they did to find Jesus. “they also took shipping,” (v 24).

Seeking after Christ is something that will ultimately provide us with comfort, but it will not always be convenient. Rest assured however, that just as Azariah told Asa, “if ye seek him, he will be found of you;” (2 Chronicles 15:2).

When we earnestly seek after Christ, we will find Him.

Originally published as “Seeking after Christ.” Independent Plus. September 15, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Wednesday

17

January 2024

Don’t be weary in well-doing

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You can’t reap if you don’t sow

He that observeth the wind shall now sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:4) | Read more about not growing weary in well-doing on hopereflected.com

There’s an old saying that goes something like this: If you wait until the time is perfect to do something, you’ll never do anything. As Solomon—considered to be the wisest king in history—wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes, “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” (11:4). It doesn’t require any experience with farming to understand that if you don’t sow then you can’t reap. The same is true in all areas of life; not just in agriculture.

“Be not deceived”

Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. …let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:7, 9).

Eventually, we will harvest the seeds that we spend our time in life planting.

The question is, will the harvest be good?

Farmers know that the harvest season is hard; there’s a lot of labour that goes into reaping and gathering everything that was planted earlier in the year. The timing’s got to be just right for successful sowing and to reap the rewards of, well, reaping.

Now just imagine if a farmer allowed him or herself to be distracted by the winds or the clouds and as a result didn’t sow any seeds or gather the harvest?

They’d be at great risk of losing everything.

The same is true with how we spend our lives.

Paul wrote “Be not deceived” because many people are deceived. They think they have time to waste, that they can “have fun” now and get serious later; that “finding God” means never having any “freedom” again; that they are entitled to collect benefits without working at all; that they should live for today without thought for tomorrow.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today

The trouble is for many that tomorrow will come more quickly than they realize. Every person, regardless of what they believe, Christian or non-Christian – we will all reap what we sow.

Just like the farmer in Ecclesiastes 11:4, when we put off doing the right thing because we’re waiting for our own convenience or for the right time, then we won’t ever do the right thing, and we won’t ever receive the rewards thereof.

Paul encouraged Christians to “not be weary in well doing:” (Gal. 6:9).

Why?

Because well-doing can be wearying!

When we look around us and see the world rewarding bad behavior, coddling criminal activity, and celebrating sin, it’s hard to watch. It can be wearying to continue to in well-doing when the world is telling us that we are wrong.

“You reap what you sow, later than you sow, and more than you sow.”

Dr. Charles Stanley

The late Dr. Charles Stanley famously said, “You reap what you sow, later than you sow, and more than you sow.”

This principle applies to every life.

When we’re feeling weary, this is important to remember.

Tomorrow is coming, The “due season” is dawning. Until then, our job is not to be observing the wind or regarding the clouds, but pressing on and not being weary in well-doing.  

Originally published as “Don’t be weary in well-doing.” Independent Plus. September 8, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Thursday

11

January 2024

“In the multitude of my thoughts”

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In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. (Psalm 94:19) | Read more about it on hopereflected.com

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)

Every day, our thoughts are more than we can count, and how many of them are to our benefit instead of burdening us down?

Depending on the day, of course, your answer may vary.

What is common however, is that we all have a multitude of thoughts, whether for good or bad.

Albert Barnes wrote of our thoughts, “How many are vain and frivolous; how many are skeptical; how many are polluted and polluting!” Sometimes the very thoughts we try to mute are the very ones we mull around the most.

When your mind is racing

As if it weren’t hard enough to keep our thoughts under control on a good day, how much more difficult does this become when we’re walking through trying times! To keep our focus anywhere other than our problems requires a great deal of perseverance.

Our thoughts are plenty and have a tendency to wander. David described this as “the multitude of my thoughts,” (Psalm 94:19). The word “multitude” here is the same word used to describe the great multitudes of people that followed Jesus in the Gospels, and describes an abundance, a great number, or a large crowd.

David wrote Psalm 94 during a time of intense persecution against his people. He wrote these words of comfort not just for himself, but for those who were experiencing tribulation alongside him. He encouraged his people to keep their focus on God. When he was experiencing all of these anxious and perplexing thoughts, David said of God that, “thy comforts delight my soul.” (Psalm 94:19).

What are God’s comforts?

So, what are God’s comforts and how can we allow His comforts to delight our souls when we are downtrodden with the multitude of our thoughts?

Spurgeon said in his sermon “Comforted and Comforting” that “God is the God of all comfort; — not merely of some comfort, but of all comfort. If you need every kind of comfort that was ever given to men, God has it in reserve, and he will give it to you. If there are any comforts to be found by God’s people in sickness, in prison, in want, in depression, the God of all comfort will deal them out to you according as you have need of them.”

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Whatever our thoughts may be centred around — health, food for the table, financial uncertainties, recession, depression, unrest in the world — God is, as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”

Whatever the condition, God has the comfort. Reassurance for anxiety; hope for depression; faith for doubts; benevolence for selfishness.

In the multitude of our thoughts, we must allow Him room to work.

As we cannot get warm without making an effort to do so by putting on more clothes, nestling under a blanket, or standing by a fire, so we cannot be comforted if we do not seek out the very One which will provide us comfort.

Originally published as “’In the multitude of my thoughts’.” Independent Plus. September 1, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Monday

8

January 2024

A fool flaunts his folly

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"In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly." (Proverbs 13:16) | Read more on hopereflected.com

Words are the streams

James wrote that “the tongue can no man tame;” (James 3:8). It’s funny how such a small thing can wield so much power.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29).

“Corrupt” here means rotten, worthless, or unfit for use.

In Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, he explains that the root word for “corrupt” is applied to “putrid vegetable or animal substances. Then it is applied to a tree that is of a useless character…”.

The words that proceed out of our mouths are based on our character. As Matthew Henry wrote, “The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication.”

Unless we get things right at the source, we are at risk of spewing garbage rather than ministering grace.

We are not alone in our struggle to tame the tongue

Proverbs 13:16 says that “in everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.” Making a joke of sin and making light of holy things don’t really seem like a big deal because we’ve been conditioned to believe that they’re not a big deal, and that we’re not a big deal unless we’re doing those very things.

Standing up for what’s sacred?

Don’t be a fuddy-duddy; you’re no fun!

Just take a look at what the world laughs at, and who the world holds in high regard.

Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Colosse that we are to put off “anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” (Colossians 3:8-9). “Filthy” here has the same meaning of the “corrupt” communication in Ephesians 4:29.

Rotten and worthless words that are unfit for use are so provoking that these cautions were included in two different letters to two entirely different groups of Christians. To think that we are alone in our struggle to tame the tongue would be grossly ignorant. Some people are just better than others at knowing when to speak and when to stay silent.

“By their fruits ye shall know them.”

Matthew 7:20

Jesus said in Matthew 7 that “By their fruits ye shall know them.” (7:20).

What are our fruits?

Our character, our actions, and of course, our words.

What do others hear from us in the course of conversation? Jesus also cautioned in Matthew that “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36-37). This is not a threat, but certainly a reminder that what we say—and what we don’t say—is of eternal significance.

We can talk a lot, but when our words and our actions don’t line up, others are going to notice. We can lie with our words but our actions betray us.

Originally published as “A fool flaunts his folly.” Independent Plus. August 25, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Thursday

4

January 2024

Gossiping gives no grace

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"Where no wood is, there the fire goes out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth." (Proverbs 26:20) | Read more about gossip on hopereflected.com

“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.” (Proverbs 26:20)

We are wise not to speak when we don’t have all the facts. Gossiping gives no grace and only gives us a false sense of importance when in fact it is a fruitless exercise. “He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.” (Proverbs 20:19).

When it comes to slanderers, Proverbs 20:19 gives us wise instruction: Steer clear, avoid sharing sensitive information, and be smart. Let’s call gossiping out for what it is—evil (James 3:15-16). I don’t think I am alone in learning the hard way that no good comes from speaking when we don’t have all the facts.

Think before you speak

While we can apologize for what we say, we can’t take it back, and so it is critically important that we think before we speak. We are not the first generation to be faced with this challenge; there are so many examples of the consequences of the tongue throughout Scripture.

David wrote in Psalm 101:5, “Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.”

Our speech often reveals our pride, and unfortunately, to boost their self-importance, some people purposely speak lies about others and put them down. Matthew Henry wrote that “Many endeavour to raise themselves into the favour of princes by unjust representations of persons and things, which they think will please their prince.”

There is a reason that “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16) is included as one of the ten commandments.

What to do when you’re the target of gossip

Conversely, when we are the target of gossip and slander, we must be equally as careful to guard our tongues.

We need to watch what we say when we’re hurt or angry.

Solomon wrote “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1). We know what keeps the peace (it’s not speaking when we’re angry). The trouble is, it’s upsetting when someone calls our character into question. It’s when we’re overly emotional that we endanger ourselves and can lose control of our tongues.

It is a characteristic of the wise to hold the tongue in the heat of anger— “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” (Proverbs 19:1)—and even more a demonstration of wisdom to overlook an offense.

Rather than react without thinking, we ought as Matthew Henry wrote to “Give it time, and it will cool.”

Death and life are in the power of the tongue

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue:
and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Proverbs 18:21

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21). Matthew Henry wrote that “Many a one has been his own death by a foul tongue, or the death of others by a false tongue; and on the contrary, many a one has saved his own life, or procured the comfort of it, by a prudent gentle tongue, and saved the lives of others by a seasonable testimony or intercession for them.”

Originally published as “Gossiping gives no grace.” Independent Plus. August 18, 2022: 5. Print. Web.