The Deception of Gossip

[8] “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.” – Proverbs 18:8 (NIV)

How does it feel to hear people you trust gossip about you? Very sad, right? Meanwhile, when they do it, it looks so right before their eyes that they see nothing wrong with it. And when you ask them about it, they will pretend that nothing happened. If it hasn’t happened to you, prepare for some as you grow. People talk, even about things they don’t really know. Today, it’s sad that many news websites are filled with fake information, yet nothing is being done about it.

Many people don’t care about spreading bad news about others without considering their integrity and reputation. It looks like keyboard soldiers are waiting to see something trending so they can type derogatory comments. Proverbs 18:8 tells us that the words of a gossip are choice morsels. That means such people know how to make gossip sound so sweet to the ears of anyone who pays attention to them. For such people, be careful of them.

Because you cannot control what others say about you, you only have to concentrate on living a life that pleases God. It is better to have good credibility before God than to live to please people. Even for Jesus, it wasn’t everything He did that people were happy about, but the Bible says He never sinned (see 1 Peter 1:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21). You are not called to do things people like, but what God tells you to do, which some people will like it and others won’t. Don’t be so bothered by what others say about you.

You’re a blessing.