[28] “Do not testify against your neighbor without cause — would you use your lips to mislead?” – Proverbs 24:28 (NIV)
One time, I overheard two people conversing about me over the phone. It was a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) call to which I was invited but wasn’t available until I later came to meet it. I was shocked at what these friends said about me. These were people I personally had fellowship with and lived in one room with during my university days. So it really hurt me. It took me about three months to recover from this hurt, and to the glory of God, I am free. What am I saying?
The Bible says it is unwise to testify against your neighbour without a cause (or valid reason for your accusation). When you do that, it says your lips can mislead you. That means as long as you don’t know the full details of a close person’s issue, you are not permitted to speak evil of him, even as a way of criticising him constructively. You see, several people have lost great friendships because they breached this scripture. Too many people have time to gossip about others instead of evaluating their own lives to see how they will improve, which is wrong.
Jesus told us in Matthew 7:1 not to judge others. Why? Because there are faults in our lives we ought to also correct them. The next time you spend hours gossiping about another person, ask yourself these three questions.
- What will the person think about me when he hears me say this about him?
- Do I have the complete information about what I’m accusing this person of?
- How will my friendship with this person end if he hears these defamatory words I’m saying?
Think deeply about these questions. They will help you massively check your life as a child of God before judging others. May the Lord help you.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer:
Father, help me to put my life in check every time so that my life will reflect Christ in all my ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2025 – 011
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