Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The devotional for today titled Waging 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 one through eight an unfriendly person pursues

selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in

airing their own opinions when wicked wickedness comes, so does contempt,

and with shame comes reproach. 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.

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