Day 47 - Rumors

Day 47 – Have you ever heard a rumor that you thought was true and you continued to share that same rumor with others only to find out it wasn't? How did you feel when you realized you had been wrong? Have you ever had a rumor spread about you?

I was in middle school when I had a pretty vicious rumor spread about me. I was very tall and extremely thin and someone had spread the rumor that I was anorexic. Nothing could have been further from the truth but that rumor set wheels in motion that impacted my entire junior high career. My guidance counselor called me down to her office and tried to get me to admit to something I wasn't. From that point forward, I had people watching me in the lunchroom, following me to the bathroom to make sure I wasn't throwing up (bulimia), and I had to forever overcome something that wasn't true.

Can you imagine the rumors that spread about Jesus? Many of them were true but many of them were not. I'm sure he sounded outlandish to some. Random healings and hanging out with unsavory characters were just a few of his wonderful traits that probably were unbelievable.

How do we, as humans, overcome rumors or even worse – spreading the gossip? What does the Bible say about that? Gossip is usually started because we are bored and truthfully probably are not as active in our own Christian life as we should be. Otherwise, we would have better things to do!

1. Always check the facts before spreading a rumor
   
2. If you are starting to gossip, immediately stop
   
3. If you start to make a statement, turn it into a positive statement about the person instead of a rumor.
   

Bottom line, if you don't want others spreading rumors about you then you should not participate either.

Leviticus 19:16 – "Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the Lord."

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

Romans 1:29 – "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips."

1 Timothy 5:13 – "Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to."

Matthew 7:1 – "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

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

Ephesians 4:29 – "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."

 

It isn't a coincidence that God talks about this AGAIN and AGAIN. The things that come out of our mouths can be so hurtful and long lasting in ways that we cannot begin to fathom. Thankfully, our stories about Jesus are not rumors and they can be checked not only with Scripture but with the Holy Spirit that lives within.