A short and concise thought on forgiveness. The one act that most people don’t want to hear about.

As the elect of God…forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you– Colossians 3:12-13

How must God’s elect respond to God’s gift of salvation to them? How should those who have been themselves forgiven every offense behave, then, towards others?

Paul makes a very serious connection between the forgiveness that Christians have in Christ and the forgiveness that believers ought to practice themselves. “Even as Christ forgave you,” Paul says, you ought to forgive — with the same unconditional and complete absolution.

To what extent does the command apply? If any one has anything against any one! We cannot claim that anyone is too insignificant, or that any offense is too significant, for us to forgive.

Weren’t we insignificant in relation to God, when he forgave us? Weren’t our trespasses against him constant and enormous? And yet God was gracious. Even so, we are told, we are to show patience and forgiveness wherever we go and with whoever we come in contact.

Are you aware of the greatness of God’s grace to you? Are you aware of how utterly undeserving you are of his continued forgiveness? If you are, then there should be no hesitance on your part to reflect God’s goodness, even to the most unpleasant and abusive of people.

The story of the scorpion. This will really change your thinking on forgiveness.

An old man saw a scorpion drowning and decided to pull it out from the water. He calmly extended his hand to reach the creature.

When he did, the scorpion stung him. With the effect of the pain, the old man let go the creature and it fell back into the water. The man realizing that the scorpion was drowning again, got back and tried to rescue it but then again it stung him. He let go of it again.

A young boy standing by, approached the old man and said, “Excuse me Sir, you are going to hurt yourself trying to save the evil-vicious creature, why do you insist? Don’t you realize that each time you try to help the scorpion, it stings you?”

The man replied, “The nature of the scorpion is to sting and mine is to help. My nature will not change in helping the scorpion.”

So the man thought for a while and used a leaf from a nearby tree and pulled the scorpion out from the water and saved its life.

MORAL LESSON:

Do not change your nature. If someone hurts you, just take precautions. Some pursue happiness while others create it. Let your conscience be your guide in whatever you do.

Verses on forgiveness and helping those who hurt you

Ephesians 4:32 ESV / 489 helpful votes

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

Colossians 3:13 Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Work…it’s not just a job!

Have you ever had one of those days where the last thing you want to do is go to work? I’m what they call a bi-vocational Pastor. In other words, I work a secualr job while pastoring. This morning when I got up, I knew that I absolutely was NOT in the mood to go to work and face the drama that I knew awaited me. But since I live in Las Vegas, I know that I need to be grateful to have a job that doesn’t involve drinking or gambling. Having said that, it made me think about though there will be times that we wish we could make a living on permanent vacation, we still need to be grateful for the chance to work.

While I’m blessed to have some great bosses, not everyone enjoys that same blessing. While I face some “interesting” people that I have to work with, the bottom line is that there will always be something that we don’t like about our jobs. While that may be true, we have to learn to look at our jobs from a more positive perspective in order to have a happier and more spiritually mature attitude. Don’t look at your job as something you have to do, because there’s someone unemployed who would love to have that same chance at unhappiness. Don’t look at the job as beeing around ungodly people, see it as a witnessing field. Don’t look at your job as a chance to complain, think of it a an opportunity to be an example of Godly strength to others. I think you see where I’m going with this.

To inspire those of you around the world who struggle with happiness at your workplace, I offer the verses below to inspire you. Please take the chance to read them and become renewed as you think about your job.

 

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

 

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

 

Proverbs 14:23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

 

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

 

Proverbs 10:4 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

 

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

 

Proverbs 12:11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

 

Proverbs 21:25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

 

1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

 

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

8 Flavors of Gossip, 26 Bible Verses

Gossip is like a secret craving. We say we don’t like it, but when it’s within reach, we almost can’t resist it. We get a sudden appetite to know what we don’t know… about somebody else.

Why is it so hard to stop? Proverbs 18:8 says, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”

No, you might think. Not me. I’m not into sharing the dirty details about a person’s life just for fun. But gossip comes in many flavors, and it involves listening as well. Proverbs 17:4 notes: “Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.” Yikes!

Types of Gossip and What the Bible Says

How do we know what’s gossip and what’s not gossip? We can find a number of bible verses about gossip, especially in Proverbs, and we can also ask God to reveal it to us. James 1:5 tells us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Have any of the types of gossip below been too tempting for you to resist lately?

Slander
It’s defined as spreading rumors or lies about a person to cause damage purposely. The written form of it is libel.

The bible mentions slander countless times in lists like this one: “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Colossians 3:8).

James 4:11 tells it straight: “Brothers, do not slander one another.”

Dishing

“Dishin’ the dirt” basically means sharing the “juicy info” you learned about someone. Maybe the intent isn’t to directly cause damage, but by keeping the gossip alive, it continues to spread and taint the image of the person it’s about.

Proverbs 20:19 tells us that a gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.

James 5:9 says, “Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”

Rumors

You hear something, and it’s not good, and it’s also not confirmed as true. But you tell someone or ask someone else about it to get more info. The rumor mill turns and turns and the gossip spreads.

Proverbs 13:3 says, “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”

Backbiting

It’s a flavor of gossip that involves speaking spiteful or slanderous words about another who is not present and can do nothing in defense. It’s secretive, and the bible actually mentions it by name in Proverbs 22:23: “The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.”

Also: “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure” (Psalm 101:5).

Not-Really-Joking Jokes

Have you ever taken some part of truth and turned it into a joke about someone that makes other question their character? It also serves as a passive way to spread more gossip. Example: Maybe he/she will actually get off the couch today long enough to blahblah. haha.

When the joking is harmful to another, it’s mockery. How can you know a mocker? It’s in the bible. Proverbs 21:24 says, “Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.” And verse 9:8 says, “A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.”

In addition, Proverbs 22:10 says, “Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.”

And Psalm 1:1 starts out: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.”

Planting Seeds

The bible tells us we reap what we sow. With that in mind, this type of gossip is said in such a way to make the listener question or assume something about the character of a person. For example: Isn’t it weird how he keeps staring at your girlfriend when you’re not looking?

James 3:5 tells us, “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”

A warning from the bible from Proverbs 16:28: “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”

Whispered Innuendo

These subtle insinuations can mislead others into thinking wrong thoughts, especially if the conclusions are based on gossipy hunches. Here’s an example: It’s interesting how he was “out of town” the night she was murdered.

Proverbs 26:30 tells us, “For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.”

And a warning from the bible: “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (Luke 12:3).

Got-This-All-Wrong Gossip

You admit you probably got it wrong, but spread it anyway, because it’s still touching on some points that could be true. Or would sound exciting if true. Either way, it usually starts out like this: I probably got this all wrong, but apparently…

This is one of the most common types of gossip. We think we’re just passing on the latest news. Could it hurt someone? Meh. Maybe. But if we don’t even know the person, does it matter? James 4:17 says, “Anyone, then, who know the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

Thankfully, Jesus gave us an example to follow:

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is said whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs” (Matt 10:26-27).