Quick To Be Mean? What Should We Be Quick About?

This picture showed up in my facebook feed, quickly shared by a generally “nice” friend who has been angry lately about the election results. It didn’t seem right to me on the surface, so I did a very minimal amount of checking and quickly discovered it was fake.

The message? Envious, spiteful, mocking one of the President’s top advisors who is also a mom and 100% faked, but it had Over 21,000 SHARES in 24 hours. Not facebook Likes – Shares, which means millions may have seen it.

The headline? #OMFG? Gucci blatantly rips off Vogue Simplicity, circa ’75… only to be worn by Ms Alternate Facts 2017! (T/Y Laurie)
(Perhaps Laurie is the person who did the photoshop?)

Here’s the original (from 1974… really good stealth faking, not.)

http://www.finickypatterns.com/collections/simplicity-patterns/products/i1970s-dress-pattern-simplicity-6554-shirtwaist-dress-button-front-collar-bust-34-uncut

Gossip and envy has always spread like wildfire, with great destruction – poisoning relationships and destroying reputations. Now with a swipe and a quick click, damaging stories, slander, cruel remarks and lies can spread to millions of people.

This was forbidden in the Old Testament and predicted to be rampant by the Apostle Paul.

From God Himself – a mandate to not gossip.
Leviticus 19:16
You shall not go around as a gossip among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor [with slander or false testimony]; I am the Lord.

Just one of many Proverbs and other verses, cautioning us not to gossip:

Proverbs 26:22-23
22 The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].
23 Like a [common] clay vessel covered with the silver dross [making it appear silver when it has no real value]
Are burning lips [murmuring manipulative words] and a wicked heart.

Why do we love to gossip so much?

It’s a “tasty morsel” – it provides an immediate reward of attention and the illusion of being smarter and better, but long term it’s super destructive.

Here’s even more from the Apostle Paul regarding the condition of people in the end days (looks very familiar if you follow the news and interact with people.)

2 Timothy 3:2-4
2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God,

What are we to be quick about?

Quick to forgive!

Colossians 3:13-14 (The Message Bible)
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Quick to reconcile and make things right.

Matthew 5:25
Come to terms quickly [at the earliest opportunity] with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way [to court], so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you are thrown into prison.

Quick to share Good News!

Matthew 28:7
Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee [as He promised]. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

Quick to bless the hurting! (and quick to obey our Master)

Luke 14:21
So the servant came back and reported this to his master. Then [his master,] the head of the household, became angry [at the rejections of his invitation] and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the disabled and the blind and the lame.’

Quick to joyfully restore the returning loved one who messed up their life really bad!

Luke 15:22
But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe [for the guest of honor] and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet.

Quick to obey heavenly directions!

Acts 12:7
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared [beside him] and a light shone in the cell. The angel struck Peter’s side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off his hands.

Quick to hear and be a careful, thoughtful listener!

James 1:19
Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];

I’m preparing a short series on “Tasty Morsels” that will even have some recipes – but this incident really bothered me, so I hope it will encourage you to NOT gossip and be mean AND to be Quick to do the good things that bring love, life and restoration.

Blessings on you Beloveds…

Kathryn

All verses from the Amplified Bible unless noted.

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