The Gossips – 1948 – Norman Rockwell
A wicked messenger brings nothing but trouble,
but a trustworthy one makes everything right. – Proverbs 13:17 NCV
Trustworthy messengers are still a scarce resource in today’s world. Relaying information via word of mouth accurately is difficult – even when the messenger’s intentions are good. There is even a party game where one will whisper a message into the first person’s ear and then the group passes it around the room to see if the last person can get it right.
They usually fail.
We deal with that problem every day. Sadly, we are used to handling every bit of information through a filter:
- What is the news source?
- Who is giving the advice?
- Does this report make sense?
If we have to ask these things in the day-to-day routine, what about important matters?
Who is teaching in your church?
If a false messenger can ruin a nation, what can it do to your salvation? The noble Bereans checked out Paul and Silas as they taught to find out “whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).
That’s a good example to follow when a person starts a sentence with “The Bible says …”
When you hear that, always take the time to check it out for yourself.
July 24, 2014
Comments Off on Don’t Shoot Him, Just Verify