Have you heard about the “Writing With God Class” at GCC? It’s an opportunity for writers to hone their skills to prepare them to use their stories for the benefit of others. Now, I’m not a member of the class, but I might as well be. You see, my wife leads the class. I get to hear some of the completed assignments she receives.
we’ve all lied
Last past week’s challenge sounded simple: write a story about a lie that either you told, or someone told to you, and then tell how it affected your life. Sounds simple; no one should have difficulty writing about a lie. After all, we’ve all lied, and we certainly know people who have lied to us. I could write that assignment. Haven’t I told a lie to someone and hasn’t someone told a lie to me?
my lies
Well, it’s a little more difficult than that. You see, I told a lie and the person I told it to…. was me! For years told myself that I was in good health and there was no need to exercise or eat fruits and vegetables (although I do enjoy my fruits). I believed those lies until one day they caught up to me. I had a stroke. Those lies cost me my memory and many sleepless nights for my loving wife.
The town of Mountville paid the price for an additional lie I believed. I told myself that I could drive on a few hours’ sleep, as long as I was obeying the law. I believed that until one night I fell asleep at the wheel and crashed my car into a fire hydrant. As a result, Mountville had no water that Christmas Day. They reaped the benefits of my lie.
the consequences of lying
A lie is a lie, that’s true, but the consequences increase with the importance of the individual you’re telling the lie to. Have you ever tried lying to the IRS? Worse yet, have you ever tried lying to your wife. (I think I will stop there with personal illustrations!) The lies I tell myself have consequences. I pay for them dearly.
Today there are people in our community, our circle of friends, our family and yes, even in our church, who keep telling themselves a lie. They believe that by going to church they will eventually get to heaven. By being kind to one another their souls will be saved or giving a generous offering each week guarantee a future with God. Lie, lie, lie!
who is the liar?
The Bible is very clear about who is the liar. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist. He denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the son has the Father: whoever acknowledges the Son, has the Father. (I John 2:22-23)
the solution to lies
We believe what we want to believe. Easily, we convince ourselves of the lies that make us happy and comfortable. Often, we believe what our culture dictates to us. In contrast, do we really want to make Jesus, the only Savior, the Lord of our lives? Do we want to live in obedience to His will and not our own? Jesus has a solution: He calls himself “Truth”. He becomes the standard to help us in any situation–including lying.
The next time you are faced with the option of believing something or not, check the standard; check the “Truth”. Maybe you won’t have to suffer some of the same consequences that I have. Remember, it is wrong to tell someone a lie, but it is even worse if that someone is You!
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