A Zinger From Paul (Part 2)

A Zinger from Paul (Part 2)

"To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people." Titus 3:2

Several years ago I read a great book on leadership. One of the exercises that was recommended for the leadership team was to establish a code of conduct that would be signed off by each member of the team.

There were a number of statements in this code, but one in particular jumped off the page. It basically said this: You will be safe with us even when you are absent. This statement was a "no-matter-what" principle -- when you aren't in the room, not on the property, on vacation -- we aren't going to talk about you behind your back -- you will be safe with us even when you are absent.

Maybe it just something that leaders go through, but I always find it comical how staff react when I am walking down the hallway or enter a room where two or three of them are gathered. It amazes me how often the conversation quickly changes or how quiet people get. I wonder if the thought ever crosses their minds: I wonder if he knows what we are talking about?

Now I hope I am not that hung up on myself that I think that they are always talking about me or something I said or did. But there are times when I wonder -- am I really safe? What do they say when they are out of my presence? If I am not careful, paranoia can set in.

The problem with speaking evil about someone is that often what you say doesn't stay with the person(s) you are talking with. Some of you may have had the experience of saying something evil about someone only to have your words delivered to the person to whom you were speaking about. You remember how horrible you felt when you were confronted with the words that seemed to flow so freely from your lips. Having them played back sure isn't fun.

I remember a situation where people we speaking evil of an individual not realizing that a relative of the man they were discussing was in the room with them. After the fiery arrows had been wielded, a member of the group said, "By the way, let me introduce you to ____ -- he's _____ brother!

This phrase from Titus 3, like most passages of Scripture, doesn't leave much wiggle room. It doesn't appear to give loop holes for when we can speak evil of someone. It appears to be pretty clear. Tomorrow I want to share with you how the famous Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards viewed this verse. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 15; Isaiah 45-46; 1 Thessalonians 3

Great Quote: Let us, as followers of the Lord who was slandered unjustly, refuse to participate in speaking evil of other people. May we be the first to object when rumors and innuendo are spread, and may we also not air the dirty laundry of other people. In this way we protect others from harm. -- Table Talk Magazine (October 8, 2009)