Say What?

Proverbs 18:8
 "The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body."
A gossip is a rumormonger. To gossip means to complain, grumble, i.e., to express discontent in low tones, be grumbling or murmuring. I'm sure you've read about people who do such things.
Gossip - is there anything God’s people try to dress up and make look spiritual more than whispering or gossip. We have all heard the prayer concern, or request that was really just veiled whispering. But in whatever form it appears there is no shortage of people who will listen to it. Enquiring minds really do want to know. Why? Proverbs lays it open for us - because these tidbits of juicy information are delicious. Proverbs says that what is in our hearts will become evidenced by what we say, and it is also true that what is in our hearts will be evidenced by what our ears are tuned to. We live in a society where people want to make everyone's business their business. However, we do so at a very high price. We live in a world where the ears of the public are tuned to gossip. Look at the shows on TV, the magazines that are the top sellers, they are all about gossip. They are all about the juicy, delicious morsels of “dirt” people have on other people. We just can’t seem to get enough of it, so much so that the magazines are put out every week and the TV shows are on every night.
Not sure if you have ever noticed but gossip is hardly ever about good things. We don’t want to know the good things that happen to people or the good things that people do, we want to know about the skeletons in the closet, we want to know the problems, mistakes, and the secrets that people are trying to hide.
I was reading the paper today and skimming through the boring articles and pictures and turned the page and there was an article about a famous TV evangelist caught in a compromising situation, so guess what, I stopped skimming and started reading, I needed (wanted) to know this. This looked absolutely delicious and it was.
I think we would all agree that we should not gossip with our lips, but I wonder how much time we give to thinking about the damage gossip does to us when we listen to it. Proverbs says gossip goes down into the inner parts of the body. Gossip does not just bounce around on the surface it worms its way into our hearts, minds.
I have been given information about someone’s sin or problem and there business has now become my business. I have to deal with this information but what do it do with it. It’s none of my business. God does not give us grace and strength to deal with things that are none of our business. So I fuss and fume, I form opinions, I am disgusted or saddened by what I have just heard. But what do I do with it? Where do I go with it? I have not been informed by this information I have been infected by it. Infected with a virus I do not know how to get rid of. I do not know what to do with it is because it's none of my business. The reality is i shouldn't even know about it. All I can do is think about it and form opinions about it. Suddenly this once delicious meal has taken on a very bad after taste.
Gossip is sweet to the taste but rottenness to the heart and mind. I wonder home many homes, families, churches have people in them who have been infected by gossip. Who treat people with contempt because of gossip they have heard about them. Gossip poisons relationships. Gossip causes us to judge things we should (and actually still) know nothing about. Gossip makes it very hard for the person who has sinned or faltered in some way to find forgiveness and fellowship. So next time you are tempted to gossip or listen to it do that person and yourself a huge favor. . Act in love toward the person they want to “inform” you about. And act in a way that shows you are guarding you heart, turn and walk away. I am not interested in being infected with your poison, no matter how delicious it may appear to be. I have enough trouble dealing with things that are my business without being weighed down by things that do not concern me.
REMEMBER - Love covers a multitude of sins done against us - gossip broadcasts a multitude of sins done against us and everyone else.
REMEMBER - GOSSIP DOES NOT INFORM US IT INFECTS US.