Today in the One Year Bible, we read from John 7:1-30. Jesus is laying low, since He knows that people are trying to kill Him. And they have a hard time identifying Him. That's one reason why Judas pointed Him out by kissing Him - the religious leaders had a hard time identifying people at the time.
That's why "bearing false witness", as many men do against Jesus at His trial, was condemned so strongly in the Ten Commandments. You could ruin someone's life and even get them killed by accusing them falsely.
We don't have that same problem today. We don't have as much difficulty identifying people. But the way that we can destroy people (and it's happening more and more in our society) is by falsely accusing them. Today's #MeToo society is positive in that it helps protect actual victims of sexual abuse. It's negative in that it encourages people to accuse innocent people of misconduct, ruining their lives.
We also ruin people's lives by gossiping about them. Spreading rumors that may or may not be true can ruin a good person's reputation and good name. That's why it's important for us as Christians to avoid gossip. You never know who's life you protect by refusing to take part in it.
God, thanks for teaching us not to bear false witness. Help us remember not to.
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