Godly Friendships - Week 5, Day 3

Greedy Little Gossip (Gossip Hurts)

Proverbs 21:9 says, "A gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid anyone who talks too much."
When a person gossips, they intend to hurt the person they are talking about. It is an attempt to destroy someone's character and reputation.

Look at what the Bible says about gossiping.

● A gossip betrays confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. Proverbs 13:11

● A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends. Proverbs 16:28

● The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts. Proverbs 18:8

The phrase "choice morsels" in Hebrew means to "swallow greedily" the reputation of another. If you have a friend who gossips to you, it is only a matter of time until that person gossips about you. The Bible warns us:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Paul says, don't let anything come out of your mouth that could tear someone else down. Here is what I want you to do. The next time someone comes up to you to share something about someone else, I want you to grab that person and take them to the person they are talking about and ask them to go ahead and share what they were going to share in the presence of that person.

The only information you should be sharing with someone else about someone else is information that you have been given permission to share from the person you are talking about. A true friend brags on your strengths, covers your weaknesses, and never talks behind your back. Be a true friend.

Time Out

Look at the verses above and answer the following questions:

1. What does a trustworthy man do?

(Warning: The only secret you can't keep is if the person is sharing with you that they want to harm themselves, harm someone else, or someone is harming them. You have to share that information with someone as soon as possible who can help your friend out before things get worse.)

2. The Bible says a gossip does what to close friends?

3. Why do you think people gossip?

For a moment, a person feels like a big shot when they talk about someone else behind their back. They like the attention, but I promise you that things will not go well for you when that person hears what you said about them. What can you do to make sure you don't fall into the gossip trap?

The next time someone tries to share something with you about someone else, grab that person and take them to the person they are talking about and have them share what they were going to say in front of them. That is the best way to keep gossips away.