April 29, 2023 8:00 pm
The newspaper declared that Pep had taken the life of the cat of the governor’s wife—but he didn’t do it. The only thing he may have been guilty of was chewing the sofa at the governor’s mansion.
Pep was a rambunctious young Labrador retriever owned by Pennsylvania’s governor Gifford Pinchot in the 1920s. The dog actually was sent to Eastern State Penitentiary, where his mug shot was taken with a prisoner identification number. When a newspaper reporter heard about it, he made up the cat story. Because his report appeared in the newspaper, many believed Pep really was a cat-killer.
Israel’s King Solomon knew well the power of misinformation. He wrote, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels, they go down to the inmost parts” (Proverbs 18:8). Sometimes our fallen human nature causes us to want to believe things about others that aren’t true.
Yet even when others believe untruths about us, God can still use us for good. In reality, the governor sent Pep to prison so he could be a friend to the inmates there—and that he served for many years as a pioneer therapy dog.
God’s purposes for our lives still stand, regardless of what others say or think. We should certainly avoid the sin of gossip, yet when others sin by gossiping about us, remember that God’s opinion—and His love for us—is what matters most.
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.
The devotional for today titled Wagging Tales and Tongues was written by James Banks. The newspaper declared that Pep had taken the life of the cat belonging to the governor's wife, but he didn't do it. The only thing he may have been guilty of was chewing the sofa at the governor's mansion. Pep was a rambunctious young Labrador retriever owned by Pennsylvania's governor, Gifford Pinchot, in the 1920s.
The dog actually was sent to Eastern State Penitentiary where his mugshot was taken with a prisoner identification number. When a newspaper reporter heard about it, he made up the cat story. Because his report appeared in the newspaper, many believed Pep really was a cat killer. Israel's King Solomon knew well the power of misinformation. He wrote in Proverbs 18, The words of a gossip are like choice morsels.
They go down to the inmost parts. Sometimes our fallen human nature causes us to want to believe things about others that aren't true. Yet even when others believe untruths about us, God can still use us for good.
In reality, the governor sent Pep to prison so he could be a friend to the inmates there, and he served for many years as a pioneer therapy dog. God's purposes for our lives still stand, regardless of what others say or think. When others gossip about us, remember that God's opinion and God's love for us is what matters most.
Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Proverbs chapter 18 verses 1 through 8. The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice. The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels.
They go down to the inmost parts. Would you pray with me now? Abba, Father, thank you so much for making us your children. Would you help us and encourage us and speak truth to us when people speak what is untrue about us? And may your love shine through us no matter what people may do. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-04-29 20:14:29 / 2023-04-29 20:15:59 / 2
