Ephesians 4:20-25
Verse 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
One of the things we need to watch out for in life is how truthful we are. Not just how honest we are being in what we say but how truthful we are by what we don’t say and how we act.
There are many ways that we can be dishonest and none of them help us grow spiritually. We don’t need to spend any time on the fact that telling something that is untrue, if even only partially untrue, is lying. But what about the times we lie by not speaking when we should? When we don’t speak the truth when we know it, whether out of fear or some other reason, we are lying by omission and that is still a lie.
There are also other ways of being dishonest. How about not giving all your information on your taxes or maybe it was that you kept all the change you were given even though it was more than you were due. Maybe it is how you fudge the numbers on your time for work to get an extra few dollars in the paycheck. There are so many ways that we can be dishonest but Paul is saying that we need leave it all in the past.
We need to see how being honest in all things could set us apart from the rest of the world and allow God to gain the glory for our righteous living. The world is flooded with those who are dishonest by character. They have no qualms about lying or fudging numbers in various ways. They are not known for their willingness to stand for truth and that is what will set us apart when we live an honest life.
This honesty in our lives must be more than just a modified behavior. We can do our best at not lying but our motives can’t be just a change of mind, it must be a change of heart. We will not be honest in our truth living if we still like lying. It has to come from a heart that has learned to hate lying just as much as God does. It isn’t enough to decide not to lie if we aren’t repulsed by it. God doesn’t want us to just be truthful, He desires us to be people of truth. There is a difference and we need to learn what it is so that we can live as He calls us to live.
Making It Personal
Where does lying have a hold in your life? Why do you find truth hard to apply to that situation? What choices do you need to make today?
Making It Personal Kids
What is the truth? Do you always tell the truth? What do you need to be truthful about today?
Closing Prayer
Father, Jesus said He is truth and so truth should be precious to us. Father, we know that we need to learn to love truth. Help us identify the lies we need to address and banish from our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.