truth

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Psalm 118:6

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

My God shall supply all we need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:9

I will never leave you or forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone and the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

We are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Just Saying…

I am someone who wants to use words- both written and spoken- to build others up. When friends share something that I have written to encourage others, it confirms this desire.

Whew! I’ve said some words over the past week that were not encouraging nor profitable to anyone. I have gossiped.

Such an ugly word. But, by definition, did I *really* gossip?

Cambridge Dictionary defines gossip as “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.”

I had a casual conversation (check) and said something about someone else (check.)

Someone I trust told me what this person said. I’m sure the statement was true. (Not check.)

So did I really gossip?

Let’s go to the Bible. (Eeek!)

In James 4:11 and Colossians 3:8, it talks of slander. It’s spreading rumor or lies to purposely damage. I did not do that.

Or did I?

It wasn’t a lie. However, would I have said it if the original speaker were present? Why did I say it? To make someone laugh? To be “in the know?”

Did what I say uplift the other person? No. I had mocked them. It made them appear petty or ignorant or unkind.

It made ME petty, ignorant and unkind. *ouch*

As soon as it came out of my mouth, I was convicted. (Thank you, Holy Spirit.)

A couple of days later, I found the one I had spoken to and pulled her aside. I confessed my sin of ‘saying something I shouldn’t have said.’ She knew what I meant.

She said, “Thank you for saying that. I have been struggling with gossip lately too.”

Wait – I just said something I shouldn’t have. Oooo, she named it as gossip.

And she was right.

And then the next day, I did it again.

I have some work to do. It definitely starts with being aware of what comes out of my mouth.

And things that come out of my mouth start with my thoughts.

Philippians 4:8 – Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Thank you, God, for forgiveness. Thank you, Spirit, for conviction. Thank you, Jesus, for your example.

Truth

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.

Our grandson memorized this verse for school.

It struck me how succinct and complete it was.

Fifteen words that have massive significance.

Everything in Scripture is true. It’s timeless. It’s not fresh one day and then rotten the next. It’s applicable to our current situation and will be again years from now.

We can trust what God does. What He does cannot counter who God is – His character. He is for you. He alone is worthy. He thinks about you constantly and longs for a relationship with you.

He never promises everything that happens in this world will make sense to us. It will not always be logical to our human minds. We may have wanted (prayed for) another route or solution to the problem.

But if the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything He does to be consistent with His character, then what do we have to worry about? (Matthew 6:25-34) We can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us! (1 Peter 5:7) He is the Shepherd and is guiding us! (Psalm 23) No hair falls from our head that He doesn’t know about! (Matthew 10:30) He has redeemed our lives from the pit and sets us firmly on a rock! (Psalm 40:2)

Hallelujah!

True today. True tomorrow.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.

Our 9-year-old grandson memorized this verse for school.

It struck me how succinct and complete it was.

Fifteen words that have massive significance.

Everything in Scripture is true. It’s timeless. It’s not fresh one day and then rots the next. It’s applicable to our current situation and will be again years from now.

We can trust what God does. What He does cannot counter Who God is – His character. He is for you. He alone is worthy. He thinks about You constantly and longs for a relationship with you.

He never promises everything that happens in this world will make sense to us. It will not always be logical. We may have wanted (prayed for) another route or solution to the problem.

If the word of the Lord holds true, then we can trust everything He does. It is consistent with His character. What do we have to worry about? (Matthew 6:25-34) We can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us! (1 Peter 5:7) He is the Shepherd and is guiding us! (Psalm 23) No hair falls from our head that He doesn’t know about! (Matthew 10:30) He has redeemed our lives from the pit and sets us firmly on a rock! (Psalm 40:2)

Hallelujah!