Who Do You Talk About?
Therefore confess your sins to each
other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful
and effective. – James 5:16
Who have you talked about today? Oh, come on. Be
honest. It’s only between you and God and He knows the truth anyway.
We love to talk about people, don’t we? We love to
pass on the “news” and hear all the details that are really none of our
business. Does it make us feel better about ourselves? Does it help us avoid
focusing on our own problems?
We’re all guilty. We are. We’d rather talk about
someone than spend time in prayer about them and for them. In fact, oftentimes
gossip masquerades as a “prayer request.” It’s a common way of talking about
others in a small-group church gathering. Stop it! God knows the details so you
don’t have to repeat them. Simply ask your group to pray for someone and leave
it at that.
We often consider ourselves justified. We get angry at
someone and we go around telling “our side” to anyone and everyone who will
listen. We stir up trouble. We tear apart relationships. We wallow in sin.
Brothers and sisters, do not slander
one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them
speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not
keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. – James 4:11
We like to justify ourselves, don’t we? We claim a
faith we don’t live but we don’t have a clue we aren’t living it. We stay so focused
on fixing others, judging them, telling others about their “sins” that we miss
our own sins.
Those who consider themselves religious
and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their
religion is worthless.
– James 1:26
What would happen if Christians started praying for
people instead of talking about them? How would your life change, how would
your heart change, if every time you thought badly of someone you prayed for
them instead? How would your words change if you stopped sharing anything except
what would build someone else up? How would our world change if we stopped fighting
about our differences and prayed for unity?
Some of the most hateful people I know are “prayerful”
Christians. They are so busy pointing fingers and commenting on the flaws of
others that they miss the point. They miss Jesus’ words about loving others.
Or, if they “heard” them, they mistakenly think He meant to love only people
exactly like themselves.
Our pastor reminded us Sunday that John Wesley had
three rules of faith. The first was to do no harm. That means never sharing a
falsehood about someone else. It means not airing your personal grievances
about someone to everyone who will listen. It means learning to control your
loose tongue.
The second rule was to do good. If someone harms you,
treat them with kindness. If you can help someone who can never repay you, do
so with a smile and with gracious words. Go the extra step. Be kind. Be
merciful.
And abide in fellowship with God. In all things and at
all times, seek Him. Words can never be recovered once they are spoken. They
carry a lasting impact long after the fuss has disappeared. They destroy far
more than we realize.
Pray for people. Don’t talk about it. Just go into a
quiet room and pray. Focus on fixing yourself and trust God with the outcome of
all the rest.
