Starting Right
Starting Right is a 5 minute Day Starter to help keep you motivated, encouraged, and focused throughout your day. DannyMac is a pastor, teacher, motivational speaker, husband, and father. His years of leading and training people have given him vast experience in helping individuals to accomplish change in their lives and meet their goals. He can help you set the course for your day by offering practical advice from God's Word in a positive and fun way. There is no better way to begin your day than by Starting Right with DannyMac.
Starting Right
Loose Lips Sink Friendships
Have you ever considered how a few casual words shared behind someone's back could potentially destroy their reputation, relationships, or even their life? Today's episode tackles what has sadly become "America's new favourite pastime" and how we can counter it.
Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mac. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax and let me help you start your day right. Let me tell you a story about four preachers who had just met. They were from a fairly conservative denomination, so they really didn't allow a lot of vices within the group. But as these pastors began to talk with one another, one of them said Our people come to us and they pour out their hearts. They confess certain sins and needs. You know, I think we should do the same. The Bible tells us that confession is good for the soul. Well, they all talked about it a little bit and then they all agreed. So the first one confessed that he liked to go to the movies and he would sneak off whenever he was away from his church. The second confessed that he liked to smoke cigars. And the third one, he confessed that he liked to play cards. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn't say anything. The others pressed him, saying come on, we confessed our sins, what's your secret vice? And finally he answered with a grin it's gossiping, and I could hardly wait to get out of here.
Speaker 1:Recently, I read an article that said that gossiping is America's new favorite pastime. Isn't that a sad statement of where we've come to? Some of the most popular shows on television are things that talk about celebrity gossip or political gossip, or shows like Dr Phil, where people come in and expose all of the garbage of their lives and then others can talk about them. It's really getting ridiculous and in its extreme form, gossip is turning into canceling people. You use all the gossip networks. There's Twitter, facebook, instagram, you name it. There's so many things out there that people use and abuse to gossip about other people, and it can become quite vicious, to the point where there are now a number of recorded events in the States where teens have committed suicide because the gossip about them has gotten so bad on these social media accounts. Actually, gossip is nothing new.
Speaker 1:The Bible talked about it a long time ago. Proverbs 16, verse 28 says A troublemaker plants seeds of strife. Gossip separates the best of friends. Over in Proverbs 18, verse 8, rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one's heart. And then, over in the New Testament, paul is writing to the Corinthian church. He's admonishing them because they've gone so far from the way they should be living. And in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 20, he says I'm afraid that when I come, I won't like what I find and you won't like my response. I'm afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorderly behavior. Paul was not about to put up with a church that gossiped.
Speaker 1:Just so that we're clear, let me give you the definition of gossip. It's defined as casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. One of the biggest challenges that we face is that we can't even watch news right now without getting gossip. We get bits and pieces of details that really are unconfirmed as being true or they're taken out of context to create a different perspective than what the truth was in the original statement. It's happening everywhere and people are eating up this gossip and the end result Gossip is destroying reputations and people. So, as Christians, we need to lead the way to stop gossiping. We need to think before we speak. We need to refuse to listen the way to stop gossiping. We need to think before we speak. We need to refuse to listen to others who are gossiping. We need to make sure that we're not judging others by the gossip that we've heard.
Speaker 1:Let me give you just a little hint of something important. People who gossip to you will gossip about you, that's guaranteed. So here's an alternative for you If you're going to talk behind someone's back, compliment them. Don't talk about anything that could be damaging or hurtful to them. Compliment them even if it's someone you don't like. Say something good about people. Make it your choice every day to say good things about people.
Speaker 1:Let's start a goodness gossip movement where all we do are talk about good things. Someone mentions the name of someone. You say something positive about them, even if you don't like them. We choose to say the good things. The end result will be the opposite of destroying reputations and people. We're building them up, and there needs to be a whole lot more of building each other up in our world right now, and let it start with us. You and me Make that decision that I am going to build people up by what I say about them when they're not around, and when we do, we mirror what Christ wants us to be in this world. Have a great day, my friends. Say good things and we will talk to you again tomorrow. Thank you for listening today and I invite you to join me Monday to Friday, right here on, starting right with Danny Mac.
