To Tell the Truth

 "Do not lie. Do not deceive one another." Leviticus 19:11

    I'm going to be honest with you: I have told many lies in my lifetime. 

    When I was a kid, my mom told me to change the sheets on my bed before I could go out to play. Rather than doing what I was told, it pleasures me not to say I crumpled up clean sheets from the linen closet shelf, pushed them into the hamper and went on my merry way. After giving me the opportunity to come clean, my mom washed my mouth out with soap when I failed to do so. 

    I wish I could say this cured me because, as I aged, the consequences of my actions only grew like Pinocchio's nose.

    Let's face it. Lying isn't just for politicians. The spectrum of falsehoods range from polite white lies to bald-faced spins, otherwise there would be no need to swear-in people before they take the witness stand. (I wonder if they still do that and, if so, do they still have the witness place their right hand on the Bible?)

    Of Jesus, the scriptures say, "He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth." (Isaiah 53:9) He never told a lie,  perhaps not even if Martha asked him if her casserole needed more salt, or if Mary asked, "Does this tunic make me look fat?" 

    All humor aside, Jesus identified Himself as Truth personified. When Pilate dryly wondered what truth was, He was standing right in front of him, though he was too blind to see. 

    Can you imagine if the whole of society were encircled by Wonder Woman's golden lasso, what would our justice system look like? Or our schools? Our homes?

    There's a Sunday School song that just popped into my head that warns, "Oh, be careful little tongue what you say...For the good Lord up above is looking down in love, so be careful little tongue what you say." It's more than just knowing God sees us, it's about being Christ to the world. We grieve the Spirit within us when we sin, thereby making Jesus unrecognizable to others.

    I will close with this very sobering verse from First Peter, which is more convicting to me than my mom's bar of soap:

"If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God." 1 Peter 4:11