Day 89 - Issue 41
Proverbs 25:18 NLT
'Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an axe, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.'
Lying is a terrible business and the writer of Proverbs captures its awful destructiveness. It is a very tempting route when the truth is hard to face and passing it on feels impossibly difficult. The temptation is to at least massage the truth, so that its sharper edges aren’t obvious. But the fact is, when you start lying it is very hard to stop. Washington Allston, the American artist and poet wrote, “Nothing is rarer than a solitary lie; for lies breed like toads; you cannot tell one but out it comes with a hundred little ones on its back.” Lying becomes nothing less than a tragic way of life for those who choose its path.
The writer of Proverbs wants his readers to understand that the only way of life worth living is one where the truth is treasured. Hymn writer, Phillips Brooks, wrote, “Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks, and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks.” During Jesus’ ministry, he spoke a great deal about truth. He said to those who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8.31-32). Later, he spoke of himself as being the truth when he declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14.6).
When we choose to follow Christ, we are committed to a life of truth as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. The truth is not a narrow set of facts but embraces every part of life and every relationship we have. In the Christian life, we not only discover more and more truth about God, but about ourselves and the world. Every day is an adventure in the truth. We have the encouragement of knowing that it is the role of the Holy Spirit to guide us.
Question: In what situations have you found it hard to tell the truth?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you that you are the way, the truth and the life. Help me to live close to you and to allow your Spirit to lead me into all truth. Amen