15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Dear God, I think I’d just rather gossip about the person doing the wrong thing than confront them with it. That’s the truth. When I read this passage my default church mind, full of the platitudes I have heard my whole life, agrees and says, “Of course, that is what I should do. And that is what I do because I believe in this teaching.” But then when I stop and think of examples in my own life when I have come across someone who I think is doing the wrong thing, what are the actions I have taken in those situations? As near as I can tell, I usually don’t confront them, but I might just point out their flaw to someone else. Really, don’t most of us do that?
One of the sayings I love is that Christians don’t gossip. We just share information so we can pray about it. The other wonder saying we use here in the South is, “Well, bless their heart, they just shouldn’t be doing [this, that, or the other].”
So what would it look like if actually refrained from gossiping, but followed Jesus’ admonition here? How could I better be a constructive confronter and not a gossiper? How would it change my life and how others see me if I never talked negatively about anyone, but only took my negative thoughts to the person if I deemed it important enough to do so?
Father, this is a good word for me. It is a good reminder that I need to really watch my tongue and also allow myself to be more confrontational for the sake of those I know and love. So help me to do this. Help me to glorify you. Help me to be the kind of person that people will respect enough so that you can speak to them through me. Help me to confront constructively. And speak to me through others as well. I am sure there are things about me that people see and feel are wrong. Help me to hear you through them.
Emails to God 