<< Back to Index of Devotions
April 9th - 15th
This week, let us look at two more sins that seem to overcome women more than men – pride and gossip.The sin of pride – how we all have felt its effects at one time or another! Have you ever taken credit for something God accomplished in your life? Have you claimed as yours the gifts He has given you? Have you ever taken His blessings for granted? Ever feel that you were more important than someone else because of the career you have, the home you live in, the possessions God has given you, the car you drive, a position you hold in a voluntary organization? Ever thought that you could perform a task better than the person to whom it was assigned, or that you should have been chosen for a part in an area of your life that someone else was given; that you look better than another, you sing better than so-in-so, you’ve accomplished more than “Betty Lou”? Of course we have! We’re human but when we ask God to search our hearts, He will quickly reveal this horrible sin to us. As it worms its way into our souls, pride can eat the very heart out of us and leave us denying its presence until its too late. We convince ourselves that we are humble and over time we believe that lie. The story has been told about the woman who went to her pastor to repent about her pride. She said that because she was so beautiful she spent 30 minutes each morning just looking at herself in the mirror. Her pastor remarked that she was not guilty of the sin of pride but rather of lying. If we could only see ourselves as others see us – what about how our Father sees us? Hummmm…
In Leviticus 26:19 (NIV) God tells us: “I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.”
King Solomon warns us in Proverbs 13:10 (NIV) that: “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”
And again in Proverbs 21:24 (NIV) King Solomon writes: “The proud and arrogant man-"Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.”
Read what God has to say about pride in Obadiah 1:2-4 (KJV):“2Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. 3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? 4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.”
In Psalm 31:17-19 (NIV) King David writes: “ 17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave. 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. 19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.”
The next few shells I saw reminded me of the ravages of the sin of gossip; how it eats away at the ones who participates in it, colors the opinions of those who listen to it about the person who is being maligned. Have you ever valued someone’s friendship until another person who “knows” them “shares” their opinion of your friend or purportedly what “they” did, and God-forbid, it’s often done under the guise of a prayer request!
Isn’t it interesting how the story about someone changes when it is passed from person to person – a little embellishment here, a white lie there – that makes the story juicy; and it doesn’t seem to matter how the reputation of the targeted person is damaged.
It has been said that gossip is rooted in our need to feel good about ourselves. When we bring others down, we gain the illusion that we are better than them. That’s the reason gossip is so difficult to resist. We’re all looking for reassurance about ourselves, but we seek it from earthen vessels instead of the One in Whom our worth lies.
We would be wise to talk less and listen more. When we do need to speak, let’s talk of those things that encourage and draw others closer to God instead of spreading the things we’ve heard that will hurt others. “The tongue of the wise promotes health.” Proverbs 12:18 (KJV) “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19 (KJV)
(see attachment #3)
Psalm 5:6 (NIV) tells us that: “You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors.”
In Psalm 34:13 (K JV) King David cautions us to: “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.”
And in Psalm 141:3 David asks the Lord to: “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”
"A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends." Proverbs 16:28 (KJV)
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts."Proverbs 18:8 (NIV)
Proverbs 25:23 (KJV) "The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance." (Have you ever noticed the look on someone’s face as they whisper their ill-conceived words?)
Proverbs 26:20 says: “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.”
In Ephesians 4:30-32 (KJV) we are warned: “30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Be warned, God hates gossip. To Him, gossip is just as much of a sin as murder or any other horrendous crime. Sin is sin and as Christians, we need to be wary of this “enticing” pit-fall.
Heavenly Father, the One from Whom all blessings flow, help us to keep a watch over our mouths. We know that the tongue can be an evil thing, Father; with it we can praise or cut down – good and evil flow from the tongue and this ought not to be. Remind us, Lord, when someone wants to “share” something about another that we can put out the fire of gossip by not spreading it. Help us, Holy Spirit, to use the control You give us to do what is right so that our lives will honor our Lord. Thank you, Father, for Your unconditional and unending love. May we walk in it and spread only good news to encourage others. In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.
<< Back to Index of Devotions
