White Lies

As a youngster, I decided I wasn’t smart enough to remember all the lies I would have to tell to cover for the first lie. Telling the truth was painful at first, but I soon found it refreshing and liberating because I didn’t have to remember what I said before. Nobody ever told a lie but what they thought they had something to gain. Therefore, all lies may appear white to the one telling them, but they are destructive. If Jesus never lied, why should we? Perhaps because our motives aren’t what they ought to be. Ask for God’s help to always want to do right. With pure motives, it’s easier to admit the truth and avoid telling the lie when you’ve messed up.

Since you are no longer the person you used to be, always be truthful, avoiding all kinds of deception. — Colossians 3:9

Ten Thoughts to Ponder

1. If I’m not looking, I’ll miss seeing the gifts God has for me.
2. The greatest lesson to learn is how to learn.
3. When I say I’m smart, I’ve unwittingly shown my ignorance.
4. Faith unto righteousness is hearing God’s voice, believing what he says, and acting upon that unseen reality.
5. Lying to others is possible only after you have lied to yourself.
6. Love becomes lust when getting is more important than giving.
7. What I do reveals whether what I say is really true.
8. Faith in God is not a weather forecast of percentage probability.
9. God has the only life insurance with a death benefit for the policy holder.
10. Life goes on, but exactly how it will go, I cannot know for sure, because I am not the one in control.

Questions for Further Thought

• Why does our culture so often expect people to lie?
• How can we sense when someone has lied to us?