Today's Verse: Proverbs 26:20

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.
— Proverbs 26:20

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Ol' Smokey The Bear said: "Only you can prevent forest fires!" Basically, that's what the Wiseman of Proverbs says about gossip. We can turn down the heat, douse the fire, and let the quarrel die. How? By not supplying juicy morsels of gossip, ditching the urge to spread destructive innuendos, and refusing to keep alive an ugly rumor. Without gossip, the bitterness of a rivalry can dissolve, and relationships can mend.

My Prayer...

Forgive me, O God, for I have sometimes kept gossip alive or entertained a conversation with someone who gossips. Please bless and heal those whom I have wounded with my participation in gossip. Give me the strength to say only what is helpful to bless others according to their needs, the courage to mend the relationships I have damaged because of my reckless words, and the wisdom to know how to discourage those seeking to spread gossip in front of me. In Jesus' name, I ask it. Amen.

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Illustration

Illustration of Proverbs 26:20 — Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

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