I hate and detest falsehood, but I love your law.
Psalm 119:163
We all do it.
Tell lies. Maybe you don’t make a habit of telling elaborate fabrications of unreality, but we all tell those little “white lies.” Maybe you have exaggerated a little about how well your child is doing in school or twisted the truth about your life. We all do it, but why?
I’ll admit when a small enhancement of the truth slips across my lips; I do wonder why I do it. The person hearing my untruth will never know. Why would I risk sinning against a Holy God with untrue words?
I have a theory: it makes me look good, and it’s the reality I want.
When I was in middle school, I received a bad grade on my report card. Until that time, that had never happened. I was a straight-A kid. My parents were delighted and expected it. That day, I was devastated. I remember thinking, “This can’t be happening. I have to do something.” So, I used my mother’s typewriter (yes, it’s been that long ago) and changed the grade. Even at a young age, I wanted to remain the picture of perfection (at least what I thought was perfection) and I wanted being a straight-A student to be my reality. My mother quickly discovered the truth, and I was punished. Sadly, I had changed how my parents saw me and the reality didn’t change. The truth always prevails.
Eve was the first to receive a lie. The enemy twisted the truth to convince that her Eden was not perfect and that God was keeping her from enjoying what she could not have. In Genesis 3:4, the serpent tells Eve that she will not surely die if she eats the fruit. Eve wanted to look good and wanted her a reality that wasn’t hers.
In Acts 5, Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, wanted to look good in the eyes of the early church. They were big donors, selling property to support the ministry. But they lied. They said they gave everything they had, but held back a portion for themselves. God knew the truth, and because of a lie, they lost their lives.
God hates lies.
Telling the truth is so important to God that He wrote it in stone. In Exodus 20, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments, and He commands us not to tell a lie. It couldn’t be more clear. Proverbs 12:22 says that lying is an abomination to the LORD, but the truth is His delight. God loves truth tellers.
Speaking the truth is sometimes hard. We want something different than the reality we live. As a sixth-grader, it would have been great to remain a straight-A student, but God had other plans.
Today, instead of using your precious words to tell little lies that make you look better or that paint a better picture of your life, speak truth. Speak thankfulness for the life that God has given you. It is far, far better than the life we could give ourselves. Speak gratitude for God sees you as a His beloved.
Father God, praise you that you love us so much that you want the best for us, not what we envision as the best. Your best is far greater. Thank you that because of Jesus you see us a good. No untruth will ever make us look better than what you see. Thank you for your truth, Your Word. Amen.
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