As you read through the Proverbs, I urge you to reflect, pray, and apply these devotional bits of encouragement and wisdom to your own life.
Blessed are the Troublemakers?
I think some people actually believe that’s what the Bible says…by how they conduct themselves. No, it says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Peacemaking is a gossip-free zone. It seeks to build bridges, not destroy them. Peacemakers are mature and able to see the best in others, not the worst. Peacemakers have your best interest at heart. Gossip and troublemaking cut deep, hit and hurt hard, and tend to seek and destroy. Gossiping throws grenades. It blows people up. It tears down, breaks down, and seeks to pull down others so that the one gossiping feels more significant and better. That’s twisted and weak. Immature. Gossip is bad for you and others. Run from it. The Bible repeatedly challenges us to do just the opposite of what gossip is about at its core, which is selfishness. We are not to tear down but to build up. We are not to hurl insults but encourage. We are not to hurt but to help. We are not to minimize others but to maximize others. How can you become a better peacemaker, bridgebuilder, and encourager? Be constructive, not destructive. Build others up! God will bless you as you do!
“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.” – Proverbs 16:28, 30