Choose to Bless, Not to Gossip - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - May 29, 2021
2021May 29
Choose to Bless, Not to Gossip By Rick Warren
“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” (Proverbs 17:9 NLT)
All of us have crazy-makers in our lives. They’re the people who make us want to call our best friends, and say, “You won’t believe what they just did!”
Crazy-makers make you want to spread the word about their craziness—to hear your friends say, “Wow, they are crazy!” That affirmation from your friends can make you feel good. But spreading the word is gossip—and it’s unloving.
The Bible says to forgive even your enemies. Proverbs 17:9 says, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends” (NLT).
What is gossip? It’s sharing information with somebody who is not part of the problem or the solution. Gossip, in its essence, is a form of retaliation. You talk about someone behind their back rather than going to that person directly.
In the short term, gossip may make you feel better—but it actually lets the crazy-maker win. It allows that person to control your conversations and emotions. Suddenly you’re spending your time talking about the crazy-maker instead of all the positive things in your life. When you choose to gossip, the crazy-maker wins.
Gossip is incredibly destructive too. It destroys churches, families, and businesses. It separates close friends. It can even destroy your life.
But you don’t have to let it. You have the choice not to gossip—and to instead repay the wrong done to you with a blessing.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:9, “Do not do wrong to repay a wrong, and do not insult to repay an insult. But repay with a blessing, because you yourselves were called to do this so that you might receive a blessing” (NCV).
You can gossip and miss out on God’s blessing.
Or you can choose to have positive conversations and use words that lift others up. In doing so, you will receive God’s blessing on your life.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Build a Firm Foundation of Prayer in the Next Generation!
“Perhaps the most important role you can play in the life of a child is teaching them to trust God through prayer. It’s the key to living with hope.” —Pastor Rick
That’s why it’s so important to strengthen the hope of kids by introducing them to Jesus’ model for prayer at an early age. And we’re excited to help you do that with Pastor Rick’s children’s book, The Lord’s Prayer: Words of Hope and Happiness.
Filled with thoughtful insights from Pastor Rick as well as stunning illustrations from award-winning artist, Richard Jesse Watson, this book brings the poetic scripture from the King James Version alive for readers young and old. It’s sure to become a meaningful bedtime ritual, a treasured memory, and by God’s grace, a legacy that bears good fruit for generations to come.
This book is a perfect way to share the beauty and richness of The Lord’s Prayer with the children the Lord has placed in your life. And it’s our thanks for your gift below to help Daily Hope take the Good News to more people everywhere. So please request a copy for yourself or a friend today, and thanks for your generosity!
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