The Telephone Game — Gossip vs. Encouragement - Friday
Today’s Verse
John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (NIV)
I fully admit that I’m a hard person to buy presents for. If I need something, I buy it. And if I don’t need it, I don’t want it. That’s why every so often, someone will get me a gift that surprises me and gets me really excited. You’ve heard me talk about it before, but last year my wife bought me a subscription to a car wash. I could go get my truck washed as often as I wanted! It is, quite possibly, one of my favorite gifts ever.
That’s why I’m still talking about it over a year later.
This week we’ve been talking about gossip vs. encouragement. But I want to get to the root of those two things today. There’s an old saying that goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Basically, it means that what you put into your body is what’s going to come out of it. If you only feed yourself fast food, don’t expect to be hitting personal records in the gym. If you’re continually feeding your eyes (and heart) junk on social media, don’t expect your thoughts to magically produce joyful thoughts. The same goes for our thought life. If we focus on the negative and problematic things in life, we tend to have garbage (like gossip) come out of us. But if we focus on God’s love and what Jesus did for us, we can’t help but exude love and encouragement to others.
We have been given the greatest gift ever. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He provided a way out of our chaos and brought us peace. It’s the greatest thing that has ever happened in this world. We don’t have to focus on the problems of this world, because Christ has already overcome them. We simply need to look to Jesus and set our eyes on Him!
REFLECTION
Take a moment at the beginning of each day for the next week and write down two things:
Write out one thing you are thankful for
Write down the name of one person you want to encourage.
Then keep those two things in the forefront of your mind throughout the day.