and bountiful, who would dare to en ter it? Two of the men, however, urged them, “It is our land! We can possess it, despite the giants. God has given it to us.” You know what happened? Rather than believing the good report, they believed the bad and, as a result, they wandered for forty years in the wilderness. Spir itually speaking, a lot of people are wandering around simply because they haven’t believed in God’s good report for their lives, taking Him at His Word. Gossip is a terrible thing. Too many, I fear, are like the old shoe. You know, the tongue never stays in place! The Bible tells us that what soever is of good report, that which has a good ring to it, should occupy our thinking. It takes a baby sup posedly two years to learn how to talk, but then he has to spend the In conclusion, now is the final ex hortation, “If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Do we really realize how thoughts can be such binding in struments, holding their grasp so carefully and completely? Legend tells us the story of an accomplished blacksmith in the long ago who boasted he could make chains no one else would ever be able to break. And, contrariwise, he could break anyone else’s chains because of both his strength and their inferiority. Peo ple would bring him the chains other blacksmiths had forged. Taking but a moment, he would look through the metal pieces, carefully examining each link. Generally he could find quickly that there was one link easily to be snapped and broken. In the Contentment comes not from haring much to live on, but having much to live for. next 65 years remembering when to shut up.
the others with the exception of the fourth, dealing with the Sabbath, for that was not mentioned. The reason is that Christ Himself is our Sab bath, or rest. He said, “I say to you, whosoever has hate in his heart, the same is a murderer.” Just thinking thoughts of hate is equal to killing another. With your mind how many people have you exterminated this past week? It has been well said “Be kind to your enemies, for after all, you made them.” This word lovely, as it appears here, is found in this connotation no where else in the New Testament. It simply means make it a practice to “keep looking for the best in others.” Think for a moment on the prac tical exho r t a t i on , “Whatsoever things are of good report.” The Bible has a great deal to say about the subject of gossip. One of the high points on this subject is found in the sixth chapter of Proverbs. There in verses 16 through 19 we are given a list of seven things which God hates. Out of those seven, the ma jority have to do with people who talk about others. The word “gossip” actually in the original was two words, “God sib.” It meant, “related to God.” This was used in reference to someone who would be your sponsor at baptism. Before you were placed in the wa ters, during this ordinance, your “God sib” would get up and give a good word of testimony about you. This, you can see was someone who knew all about you. The term, how ever, has degenerated today into “gossip,” and no longer is it some one who knows all about you, but rather someone who tells all about you. Do you remember when the chil dren of Israel sent out spies to look over the land which God had prom ised to give them? Ten of them came back with frightening reports of giants and all manner of enemies. While the country was both beautiful 22
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