THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
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R.G. LeTourneau, owner of a large earth-moving equipment company, told this story.
"We used to have a scraper known as the model "G." Somebody asked our salesman one day what the "G" stood for. The salesman, after thinking for a few seconds, replied, 'Well, I guess the "G" stands for gossip, because like gossip, this machine moves a lot of dirt and moves it fast.'"
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Lev 19:16
16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
(KJV)
Prov 26:20
20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
(KJV)
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Gossip is one of those things that sneaks up on ya! Somebody says, "Did you hear about ole _____?" And the next thing you know they are telling something they heard from someone who heard.
One time, in a little demonstration in a youth group, I got all the young people to sit down in a circle. I whispered a story to the first person, and asked him to pass it on. By the time the story got around the circle of about 18 people, it was totally distorted.
If a story about someone is circulated, the context of the story is distorted, and usually the content is also distorted.
Gossip is character assassination of a fellow human being. That's why God said we should not "stand against the blood of thy neighbor..."
Gossip has been known to cause tremendous strife!! God says we can stop the strife by stopping the gossip. If you must hear it, keep it; never repeat it. If you can, say, "Wait! I don't want to hear that."
Love ya,
Bruce
mcge3582@bellsouth.net
http://www.linktojesus.org/
Nobody ever gained any ground by throwing dirt!