WHAT'S SO BAD ABOUT A LITTLE LIE?

Today's promise: Lies will be exposed

What's so bad about a little lie?

"Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed."

Proverbs 11:17 NLT

About this week's promise:

"Lying is deceiving someone. It can be direct — "I didn't touch that cake" (as you swallow the last bite) — or it can be indirect, such as telling only part of the truth when it benefits you to do so. But to fall short of truth, in any way, is to lie.

Pilate asked, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). Pilate had the answer to his question standing before him, in person. "I am the way, the truth and the life," Jesus said on another occasion (John 14:6).

Think of it! Jesus not only tells the truth, he is truth. We cannot follow the God of truth while we persistently tell lies — even "small" ones. Determine to tell the truth in all matters of life, big or small.¹

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Lying is the basic fault line in the foundation of the soul, putting all the superstructure in jeopardy. All the believability a person has, his very integrity, totters on the shifting sand of one lie. Deceit holds hostage all other virtues.

Robertson C. McQuilken²

¹from the TouchPoint Bible with commentaries by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 1230
²quoted in 1001 Great Stories and Quotes by R Kent Hughes (Tyndale) pp 272

For more thoughts on this week's topic, check out these Tyndale resources:

The Good Life by Charles Colson (2005)
Lies That Go Unchallenged in Popular Culture by Charles Colson (2005)
Lies That Go Unchallenged in Media & Government by Charles Colson (2005)The Way I See It by Tim Baker - for Teens (2005)"

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House