Choose to Bless, Not to Gossip

[Choose to Bless, Not to Gossip]( Current Teaching Series [You Make Me Crazy]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Choose to Bless, Not to Gossip]( By Rick Warren — 05/29/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9 (NLT) All of us have crazymakers in our lives. They’re the people who make us want to call our best friends, and say, “You won’t believe what they just did!” Crazymakers make you want to spread the word about their craziness—to hear your friends say, “Wow, they are crazy!” That affirmation from your friends can make you feel good. But spreading the word is gossip—and it’s unloving. The Bible says to forgive even your enemies. Proverbs 17:9 says, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends” (NLT). What is gossip? It’s sharing information with somebody who is not part of the problem or the solution. Gossip, in its essence, is a form of retaliation. You talk about someone behind their back rather than going to that person directly. In the short term, gossip may make you feel better—but it actually lets the crazymaker win. It allows that person to control your conversations and emotions. Suddenly you’re spending your time talking about the crazymaker instead of all the positive things in your life. When you choose to gossip, the crazymaker wins. Gossip is incredibly destructive too. It destroys churches, families, and businesses. It separates close friends. It can even destroy your life. But you don’t have to let it. You have the choice not to gossip—and to instead repay the wrong done to you with a blessing. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:9, “Do not do wrong to repay a wrong, and do not insult to repay an insult. But repay with a blessing, because you yourselves were called to do this so that you might receive a blessing” (NCV). You can gossip and miss out on God’s blessing. Or you can choose to have positive conversations and use words that lift others up. In doing so, you will receive God’s blessing on your life. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - When are you most tempted to gossip? How can you avoid giving in to that temptation in the future? - What negative results of gossip have you seen in your life? - When was a time when you chose to be a blessing instead of to gossip? What were the results? The post [Choose to Bless, Not to Gossip]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the You Make Me Crazy Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( You probably have a relationship that could drive you crazy if you let it! Whether it’s a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, sibling, parent, or co-worker, a "crazymaker" can really make life difficult. Discover how you can do more than just survive, and actually thrive in these hard relationships with Pastor Rick’s, You Make Me Crazy study kit. This six-session DVD and workbook study shares biblical wisdom to help you navigate the kinds of relationships that drag you down and leave you feeling drained. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 8 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series You Make Me Crazy. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Six Keys to Peace in Relationships Message 2: Who's Pushing Your Buttons? Message 3: Resolving Conflict Message 4: Finding the Love of Your Life Message 5: Breaking Free from Abuse Message 6: Escaping the People Pleaser Trap Message 7: Keeping the Crazymakers from Making You Crazy Message 8: How to Keep Your Marriage Growing [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2021 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States