Slander
(S) Scripture
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,
to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
Titus 3:1-2 (NIV)
(O) Observation
Paul tells Titus to remind the people to live godly lives. He gives a number of ways in these verses. Submit to the governing authorities, be obedient and ready to do good. Be peaceable, considerate and humble toward others and do not slander. Tall orders for people that are stuck on themselves or who only look out for themselves.
(A) Application
There is so much here for me but I chose to think today about slander. I am not trying to find the legal definition but rather just what is Paul getting at for me. Slander is assigning actions and words to someone that were not theirs. It always goes to attacking a person's character, like calling a person a liar to cause people to distrust them. In recent years the political rhetoric in our country has gone from honest disagreement and argument to assigning inflammatory motives to what people are saying. We find this has spilled over into our everyday conversations. Rather than simply stating what a person has said we must also assign a negative motive to it. That to me is slander. It violates most of what is contained in these verses. Even though I might disagree with some of the policies of the Obama administration, I am tired of those who disagree assigning sinister motives to his decisions. We can disagree without the personal attacks. When we condone that in our discussion of national policies it is easy to allow it in our personal disagreements and church conflicts, too. We are always better served by dealing with the issue rather than resorting to personal attacks. The kingdom of God is not served when we stoop to slander to get our way or to win an argument. Today I commit to dealing with issues without personal attacks. I will refuse to slander. I do not need to assign motives to others I must simply make sure mine are honoring to the Lord.
(P) Prayer
Lord, keep me off the high horse of pride. Let me deal with the issues and let me act with humility toward all people. Let my life reflect you. Amen
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