Dont Slander or Quarrel They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone. Titus 3:2 Can Christians slander? I suppose we can. Reading Titus 3 reminded me that having a relationship with the Lord does not automatically tame our tongues. I wish it did but that doesnt seem to be the case. Titus was commanded by Paul to instruct the people that they shouldnt slander and quarrel. Apparently, being kind with our words is not automatic. Yesterday, I shared an example of someone who wanted to take her boss position, but she went about it the wrong way, by slandering the one who was also considered for the position. She lost her job and her reputation took a hit as well. She was a Christian. Years ago, there was this lady who had a habit of slandering people that she didnt like. It was her way of endearing herself to her boss. At the same time, she would be inconsiderate of those under her authority and overworked them while she lazily went about her tasks. One day, she noticed a letter lying on the desk of her boss. In it was all their complaints of how she spoke badly about them, and how she mismanaged and abused them. But what scared her more about the letter was that they were all planning to resign if she didnt. That same day, she packed her bags and left the company for good. The Oxford dictionary defines slander as the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a persons reputation. Slander doesnt make you look better. It only makes you look worse. Slanderous people think that they can get away with their false stories and not be caught. Sure they get what they want sometimes but at the expense of their character. Instead of destroying someone elses reputation, they ultimately destroy their own. Slandering and quarreling need to be replaced with gentleness and humility. Thats what Paul told Titus to teach the church. Old habits need to be replaced by new ones that reflect the God that we serve. This promotes harmony within the church and it testifies to others that we are the disciples of Jesus Christ when we love one another (John 13:35). Humility and gentleness are character traits that dont seem to fit in todays go get em society. On the surface, its as if you show yourself to be weak when everyone else is aggressively trying to get ahead by all means possible. Jesus showed us that it is not impossible to get ahead with Christlike character. In fact, Jesus is the reason why we uphold the values that we do. He has affected what society considers right and wrong and He did this without forcing His way on people. Today, He is revered by millions of people who consider Him their Lord and Savior. How are your people skills? Whether you are after a position in the office or simply want to achieve a certain status within your community, slandering and quarreling should never be part of your vocabulary. Jesus says, …learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). Now go and learn from the most influential person in history.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 11:56:33 +0000
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