GOSSIP

“There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.”– Proverbs 30:12–14

I came across a powerful description that someone wrote of one of the most serious problems that undermines the effectiveness and unity of so many churches: “My name is Gossip. I have no respect for justice. I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives. I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and face. To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobody’s friend. Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. I topple governments and wreck marriages. I make headlines and headaches. I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches, and indigestion. I make innocent people cry in their pillows. Even my name hisses. I am called Gossip.”

The words that we speak to and about others have enormous power, and we are going to one day answer to God for the words we have chosen to carelessly utter. “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Every Christian should make a deliberate and intentional effort to make sure that his speech is uplifting. This is equally true whether we are speaking to someone or about them. There are many things that even if true should not be spread to damage or destroy the reputation of others. Use your words to strengthen, encourage, and build up others rather than tear them down. –– Paul Chappell

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

PRAISE THE LORD
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.”- Psa. 146:1-2
Warren Wiersbe wrote: An attitude of gratitude is a wonderful weapon against unbelief, disobedience, a hard heart, and a bitter spirit. “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thes 5:16-18). Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, let’s be thankful for what we do have, because God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him…. We can’t control the circumstances of life, but we can control how we respond to them. That’s what faith is all about, daring to believe that God is working everything for our good even when we don’t feel like it or see it happening. “In everything give thanks” (1Thes. 5:18) isn’t always easy to obey, but obeying this command is the best antidote against a bitter and critical spirit.

The Scottish preacher George H. Morrison said, “Nine-tenths of our unhappiness is selfishness, and is an insult cast in the face of God.” …. Commenting on Psalm 146:1, 2 Wiersbe writes, “God gives us life and breath (Acts 17:25), so it is only right that we use that life and breath to praise Him (Ps 150:6). To receive the gifts and ignore the Giver is the essence of idolatry. The writer promised God he would praise Him all of his life, and certainly this is wise preparation for praising Him for eternity (Ps 104:33). To live a life of praise is to overcome criticism and complaining, to stop competing against others and comparing ourselves with them. It means to be grateful in and for everything (1Th. 5:18; Eph. 5:20) and really believe that God is working all things together for our good (Ro 8:28). A life of praise is free from constant anxiety and discouragement as we focus on the Lord, who is mentioned eleven times in this psalm.”

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

OUR STRENGTH
“Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.”- Psa. 68:28

The Lord imparts unto us that primary strength of character which makes everything in life work with intensity and decision. We are “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” And the strength is continuous; reserves of power come to us which we cannot exhaust.

“As thy days, so shall thy strength be”—strength of will, strength of affection, strength of judgment, strength of ideals and achievement.

“The Lord is my strength” to go on. He gives us power to tread the dead level, to walk the long lane that seems never to have a turning, to go through those long reaches of life which afford no pleasant surprise, and which depress the spirits in the sameness of a terrible drudgery.

“The Lord is my strength” to go up. He is to me the power by which I can climb the Hill Difficulty and not be afraid.

“The Lord is my strength” to go down. It is when we leave the bracing heights, where the wind and the sun have been about us, and when we begin to come down the hill into closer and more sultry spheres, that the heart is apt to grow faint. I heard a man say the other day concerning his growing physical frailty, “It is the coming down that tires me!

“The Lord is my strength” to sit still. And how difficult is the attainment! Do we not often say to one another, in seasons when we are compelled to be quiet, “If only I could do something!”

When the child is ill, and the mother stands by in comparative impotence, how severe is the test! But to do nothing, just to sit still and wait, requires tremendous strength.

“The Lord is my strength!” “Our sufficiency is of God” (2 Cor. 3:5) – from The Silver Lining

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?

“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.”- Titus 3:7–9

How we receive instruction and correction from the Word of God depends in large measure on whether we understand it to be meant for us, or if we instead think of how others could apply those truths. I read about an elderly church member shaking hands with the pastor after the service on a Sunday morning. “That was a wonderful sermon—just wonderful,” she said. “Everything you said applies to someone I know!” 

The temptation to apply truth to the lives of others rather than our own is not new, but it is misleading. The truth that God wants us to internalize does us no good if we are only concerned with those around us. We see this in the life of Peter after the resurrection. When Jesus had finished their memorable conversation by the Sea of Galilee designed to bring Peter back to a right relationship with Him, Peter immediately turned his focus to John. “Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me” (John 21:21–22).

We must resist the temptation to worry about correcting others instead of taking care of our own spiritual condition. We cannot make progress unless we are willing to focus on our own lives and make the necessary changes to bring us in line with what the Bible commands. That is where all spiritual progress begins. (Daily in the Word)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346