Today’s Scripture: Mark 9:9-10; Proverbs 20:19
More than once in scripture, Jesus instructed people who had experienced a miracle to not say anything to anyone (see Matt. 8:4; Mark 1:44, Luke 5:14). Some believe He gave these orders because He didn’t want the person to experience persecution for having been with the Messiah. Others think Jesus wanted to avoid the publicity about the miracles because it would divert from His message. When they descended from the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus gave the same directive to Peter, James, and John. Only this time they were to wait until after the resurrection to tell the other disciples. They kept the experience to themselves, although they did discuss it between themselves.
People with credibility practice self-control—especially in what they say. No matter how tempting it might be to share a delicious tidbit of information with even one person, credible people will earn the trust of others by guarding their confidences.
One person defined gossip as telling something to someone who is not part of the problem and not part of the solution. Solomon warned, “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.”
- How trustworthy are you with other people’s confidences? How can breaking a confidence cause a person to lose credibility?
- Why do you think Solomon cautioned us to avoid people who talk too much?