Day 116, April 26, 2021

Day 116, April 26, 2021
Scriptures: Joshua 16-18, Proverbs 26
 
Proverbs 26:20–21 - Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. 21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. 
As Joshua presses forward in dividing up the land, let’s talk about what divides churches and communities – That’s my awkward transition to express the wisdom of Proverbs 26:20.
 
To be clear, what God is doing in dividing up the land is a good thing. It was anticipated that God would apportion the land, and care for his people in this way.
 
Now to my point and concern. I’ve been a part of a community long enough to see the danger of gossip. Gossip is dangerous to the life of a community and prevents it from thriving. The avenues to share our gossip are more plentiful than ever before. It’s beyond the telephone and coffee shop. Gossip is ignited on social media and it gains so much traction within moments of whatever is posted online.
 
I say this because recently in our small community a terrible tragedy from a house fire turned into an even worse tragedy that sought to divide the community even more. God showed up at a community event though, and he broke down dividing walls of hostility. Truth helped the situation and fears subsided. 
 
If we will move forward together as the church in today’s world, we will be wise to withhold fuel to the fires of division. There is enough conflict in the world right now, we don’t need to fuel it with gossip and slander.
 
We speak the Truth.
 
Jordan