Life Journal 051205 1 Thessalonians 1

In the 1990's (you know last millennium) Bonnie Raitt performed a song that began with these lyrics, "People are talking, talking bout people I hear them whisper, you won’t believe it." The chorus rang out, "Lets give them something to talk about." Apparently we did, gossip is big business.

Think about it (not too much), every time you get in line to check out at the grocery store what are you surrounded by? Candy and Tabloids! Junk food for the body and I candy for the mind! Buy an loaf of bland white bread and there you are surrounded by National Enquirer, Star Magazine, Globe, TV Guide, telling us all what we should be talking about.

Like it or not, we are on a first name basis with the latest celebrities worthy of our gossip. We know Ben and J Lo as Bennifer, then there are the trials of Michael, Brittany’s belly, the epic loves of Sean, Jennifer and the Angelina hook up. It seems every tabloid has a photo of Paris for us doing absolutely nothing inspiring. How can this rich twit have her own TV show? (Guess I answered that myself . . . rich twit. In Austrailia by the way, a "twit" is a pregnant goldfish! Seems fitting don’t you think?) Come on people, don’t we have anything better to talk about?

I love how Paul talks to the believers at Thessalonica. He tells them what he talks about them with God. He says, As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Th 1:3 NLT). Paul’s gossip if you will, is godly gossip. As he talks to God about the Thessalonians faithful work, their loving deeds and their anticipation of Jesus’ return he talks about!

Paul is stoked about the way the people in Thessalonica became Christians and the joy they experienced even though it brought hardship for many of them. He says there is a godly gossip spreading all over the place and its about them! Everywhere Paul goes he doesn’t even have a chance to tell people about the great things God is doing in Thessalonica because they are already talking about it! Here is what he says:

The word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. (1 Th 1:8-9 NLT)

Do people know how God changed your life? Are you looking at what God is doing and talking about it? Is it time to update your "tell all?" Do your children know what God has done and is even now doing in your life? How about people at work or in the neighborhood? I’m not talking about being pushy, I am talking about talking about something inspiring and worth talking about.

I don’t know about you but I have taken a few hits with gossip that wasn’t godly. I could use some godly gossip spreading about me. How about you? Is God doing anything good in the lives of people at your church? Is it the best kept secret in town? What if we started gossiping about the faithful work of people at church? What if we started gossiping about the loving deeds of people you know who love Jesus?

What if we began some godly gossip with inspiring stories of God at work today in the lives of people around us?

This week as a brand new "spiritual exercise" target someone for godly gossip. Find something good that God is doing in someone’s life and spread it around. Chose something in your church that God is doing great things in, like the a children’s class or an "old cuss" who doesn’t anymore!

Let’s give them something to talk about!

Glad to be with You in the Word
Pastor Art