Stopping Rumors

I start every morning with coffee with God through daily devotions from Our Daily Bread. Today's devotion is titled "Stopping Rumors." Amy Boucher Pye wrote this devotion. The scripture reading is from Exodus 23:1–3, with the key verse, "Do not spread false reports." Exodus 23:1. My beloved children, grandchildren, cousins, nephews, brothers, and sisters in Christ; for all I write, I first pray to God to guide my words to serve as spiritual food and guidance. I desire God to be my sole source of writing. All the credit goes to God, not me. I am his humble servant. I thank God that He led to use Our Daily Bread Ministries as my inspiration for comments.

I'm not too fond of rumors or lies. There is no place for them. I tell everyone, "Before you start, I want you to know I will go to the person and tell what you said." Rumors plagued the church I attended concerning our pastor. He suddenly left, and all sorts of stories surfaced. We hired another pastor, but not everyone was on board. Rumors and criticism started about him. Before long, and based on these criticisms, he was asked to leave.

James had a lot to say about our tongues, "but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." James 3:8-10.

Think about how different the world would be if we never spread rumors and false reports. What if we stopped them the moment we heard them? May we rely on the Holy Spirit to help us speak the truth in love as we use our words to bring God glory.

Reflect:

What has helped you when you've faced opposition? How do you react when you hear gossip?

Prayer:

Jesus, help me to speak Your truth in love. Give me words that bring peace, grace, and encouragement.

My Prayer for You:

I pray that God will give you words that bring peace, grace, and encouragement.

Our Daily bread Ministries (2020/09/20) Stopping Rumors, Amy Boucher Pye, retrieved from www.odb.org 20/09/2020 Stopping Rumors