Read Psalm 34:11-18
Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Reflect
· Is honesty important to you?
· Do you speak the truth and attempt to walk with integrity?
· What kinds of thing have caused you to lie in the past?
Though we may be able to deceive others, we simply cannot lie to God--not now, not ever. Fortunately, our Heavenly Father is quick to offer forgiveness when we ask for it, and He looks favorably upon those who strive to be honest. Yet as author Henry T. Blackaby points out, the world won't always applaud our efforts live on the side of truth: "At times, God will be the only witness to your righteous behavior. Sometimes God is the only one who will understand your motives. Sometimes you will do all you know God has asked you to do, only to face ridicule from others. At such times all you can do is maintain your integrity, trusting that God always keeps His eyes on you."
Nearly every day we're faced with choices that show others, and God, where honesty rates in our lives. The temptation to stretch the truth--or tell only half of it--is always staring us in the face. And at times, lying may seem like your only option, especially if we feel stressed or threatened in some way. Yet Christians need to live on the side of truth in all situations. A lie for any reason is sin. And all lies compromise our faith. Take some time this week to study 1 Samuel 3:1-21. You'll learn that from the start of his life Samuel always realized that God was watching. If you continue reading through 1 Samuel, you'll meet Saul who, unlike Samuel, continually made poor decisions when he thought no one was looking. Later, you'll read about David who honestly struggled with being human.
Pray
Lord, please remove lies from my lips. Help me to speak the truth and walk with integrity. Amen.