Believing What You Hear

            “How this world is inclined to slander,” noted an unmarried young lady to an English nobleman. “Can you believe it, sir, some of my malicious acquaintances have reported that I had twins!”

            “Madam,” he replied, “I make it a rule to believe only half of what I hear!”

            Gossip is one of the descriptions Paul offers of the typical pagan in Romans chapter one. It is a sin for a number of reasons, one of which is that it hurts people. Like his Lordship, people often believe at least a portion of the information they hear—even if the entire story is false.

            Sadly, Christians, too, can all too often be guilty of the sin of gossip. Maybe that is while Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, 25 So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body…. 29 When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you. 30 And do not make the Holy Spirit sad… (Eph. 4:25, 29-30a.) NCV

Source for story: Edmund Fuller