Will Be A Light To Me

Micah 7:8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

Have you ever experienced thunder snow? Thunder snow is a phenomena where in the midst of a very, very heavy snow storm, lightning and thunder occur. The location where thunder snow happens is usually experiencing a tremendous rate of accumulation of snow. And the snow flakes are huge! It is something to behold and one of the many wonders of creation. In case you are wondering, it’s very dark at where thunder snow happens. Even in the light of day. 

Ever been in a situation where you were down, and there seemed to be people who were kicking at you while you are down?  There may be times when it seems as if our enemies have the upper hand and they are not satisfied to just have the upper hand. There can be a particularly cruel streak in people to try and make sure someone who is down does not get back up. That is just a facet of the sinful world we live in. It happens when people listen to their hearts and not let the light of Christ shine in their lives. Gossip is probably one of the most understated, yet cruelest practices of kicking someone when they are down. Gossips fit in with the lowest of characters.  The Apostle Paul reminds us of how evil gossips are in Romans 1:29-31. They are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. There it is, right in the middle with all the other characteristics of those who have fallen from the light. Do you gossip? Do you spread stories that do not lift up others? Do you “innocently” spread stories you do not know to be true? If that is the case, please do one thing. STOP, IT IS WRONG! Stop kicking someone who is down. There is no need to gossip. No one is served by gossip, short of Satan. It has no place in a Christian congregation, nor in a Christian life style. If someone chooses to share gossip with you, you need to correct that behavior. Please do so in love.  For those who are the victim of gossip, there is great comfort in the words of Micah 7:8. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. Stop and think.  Do you really want to aggravate the Lord by being an enemy of someone? When you put gossip into the proper context, right up there with slander, murder, and haters of God it takes on a whole new perspective.  If you have been a gossip, and most of us have at one time or another, repent. Stop, and know that you are forgiven. Yes, Jesus died on the cross so that the sins of all, even gossips, can be forgiven.

PRAYER: Our Father in heaven. Mighty is Your strength. Help us to find within ourselves the discipline to keep our mouths shut and not gossip. Guide us to share words of kindness about other. Help us to shut out the temptations, and the darkness so that we might be able to focus on the light that is the life of all men. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Amen