TL;DR:
True holiness includes ethical speech and self-control. Using Bud Robinson’s colorful warnings about “long-tongued” people, this devotional explores Psalm 15 and its call to reject gossip and slander. It challenges believers to seek the Holy Spirit’s help in making every conversation consistent with holy living.
15 1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.16 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Which Church of the Nazarene lifestyle guideline do you think is violated most often?
Tithing?
Active witnessing?
Not profaning the Lord's Day?
Avoiding God-dishonoring entertainment?
I'm guessing that the one most often broken is the admonition against gossiping,
slandering, spreading surmises injurious to the good names of others.
I have never heard anyone argue for abolishing this particular guideline as I have heard people argue about some others. However, I have heard many people violate it. Most of us have probably been hurt in some way by the loose tongue of a fellow believer.
More than a century ago, a preacher named "Bud" Robinson had a lot to say about holiness people and their tongues. Uncle Bud was a colorful character deeply concerned about the practical dimensions of the sanctified life.
One of his sermon illustrations involved a man who came to Bud to say, Brother Bud, my religious joy has all leaked out. What is my problem?
My, my!
Bud replied. My friend, you keep your mouth open all the time.
This emphasis on the ethical dimensions of Spirit-filled living has made some people uncomfortable. They would prefer that preachers—and church lifestyle rules—deal only in generalities.
However, Bud Robinson was on solid biblical ground when he admonished listeners to
keep that rat hole in your noggin closed.
(That was his Texas paraphrase of Psalm 15:3.)
Psalm 15 begins with two questions. The Message paraphrases them this way: God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?
To be sure, the answer that follows includes the general requirement of moral purity. It also includes this very specific requirement: One who tells no tales against his neighbor
(v. 3c, NEB).
In his book Sunshine and Smiles, Bud Robinson describes gossip this way:
I have seen cows with tongues long enough to lick their calves through the crack of the fence.
Well,you say,that is a mighty long tongue.Yes, it is, but I have seen longer tongues than that. I have seen people who could sit in their own parlor and lick their neighbors all around the country. They would make you think of a wagon—they need a breast yoke to hold their tongue up.
Without a doubt, satanic forces tempt us to enjoy passing along a juicy story about someone. However, Psalm 15 clearly reminds us that the person
whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous
is not a tale-teller (v. 2, NIV).
Just for a moment, ask the Holy Spirit to help you review your conversations from the past few days. What about the last time you talked about someone to a third person? Did you pass along gossip, an unverified story, or harmful speculation? Or was the conversation consistent with holy living and with walking in the path of life?
For further study, listen to nine audio sermons on Christian holiness.
dwelling in his sacred tent? What can be done to challenge believers to live by this principle?
—Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
I wrote this devotional blog post while Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. It is one of a series of 52 brief devotionals written for The Standard, a weekly Faith Connections take-home curriculum piece for adult Sunday school classes published by the Church of the Nazarene.
Gossip and slander both violate the call to truthful, holy speech, but they are not identical. Gossip spreads personal information, hearsay, or speculation that may harm someone, whether or not the speaker intends to deceive. Slander goes further by communicating false statements that damage another person’s reputation. By seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance and practicing self-control, believers can reject both practices and pursue holiness with integrity.
Gossip and slander are like insidious weeds in the garden of social interaction. They sprout and grow where truth is obscured and malice takes root. Gossip, often a whispered exchange of hearsay and speculation, can spread like wildfire, leaving scorched reputations and fractured relationships in its wake. It loves the sensational and feeds on its targets' vulnerabilities. Slander is gossip's more venomous cousin: the weaponization of falsehoods to tarnish character and inflict lasting harm. Both gossip and slander can sow seeds of mistrust and discord among friends, colleagues, and churches.
Both can appear innocuous, yet each has the capacity to wound deeply, erode trust, and corrode bonds of fellowship. In the face of gossip and slander, we must respond with wisdom, empathy, and integrity to protect the sanctity of truth and the dignity of every person.
S — Speaking no evil of another, even when it’s easy.
L — Letting truth, not rumor, guide every word.
A — Avoiding the subtle pleasure of tearing someone down.
N — Naming others with dignity, never with malice.
D — Disciplining the tongue to bless rather than wound.
E — Examining motives before repeating a story.
R — Refusing to weaponize words against a neighbor.
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