TRUTH ABOUT LIES – “STRAIGHT TALK”

A person who chooses to lie, is someone, who chooses to dishonour the other person. Also, the liar reveals  himself to the world, by his lies. It is like saying, “You cannot and should not trust me.” Whatever the reason and the rationale behind the lie, nothing can ever justify it – even if the intention is good. That is why the LORD commanded, plain and simple – “THOU SHALT NOT LIE” in multiple places, in the Bible. – Exodus 20:16; 23:1, 7; Deuteronomy 5:20; Matthew 19:18

Speaking about the truth and lies, in the future, G. K. Chesterton prophetically predicts…
– “We shall soon be in a world in which a man may be howled down for saying that two and two make four, in which people will persecute the heresy of calling a triangle a three-sided figure, and hang a man for maddening a mob with the news that grass is green.”

Augustine, the great African theologian, and Bible scholar, has these penetrating words that unmasks the reality about lies…
– “A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.”

Why do people lie? What are the compelling reasons, behind such a deliberate choice, to walk the wrong path? Contemplating about it, this is what I have personally gained.
– When truth becomes uncomfortable and inconvenient, people being to squirm and look for alternative ways. May be to minimise the loss and damage. Thus they begin their journey, into the web of lies, they willingly spin, because they believe, there is no other way out for them. This in itself is a lie, which is more self-defence mechanism, which they create, so as to offset any guilty phangs, and moral uneasiness. Once this dilemma is safely crossed, people feel emboldened and empowered, to lie their way through any problem.
– Sadly, people who lie do not realise that, lies are like the quick-sand, and the quick-sand does not let the “victim” to jump out to safety. The longer they choose to walk that path of lies, the deeper they would sink. They just keep sinking themselves, deeper and deeper into lies.

Amy Carmichael has some deep, sound and wise insights into, truth about lies…
– “If I am afraid to speak the truth lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, ‘You do not understand’, or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other’s highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

The best, and the only way to save ourselves is, to choose to speak the truth, always, however uncomfortable and inconvenient it may be, and brace ourselves for any consequences. This way, the damage would be minimum, not any, and the possibility of recovery, would be very high. Apart from that, *people would respect our courage and honesty to speak the truth, despite its bitter consequences.* Thus, our integrity would take, only a bare minimum hit, despite our mistakes.

The Bible not only encourages us, to speak the truth always, but also, to speak it with LOVE, KINDNESS and GENTLENESS…
– “15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—” – Ephesians 4:15
This is the critical test of truth – to be like the One who is the TRUTH, the LORD Jesus Christ Himself!

Let us always remember, at the end of the day, it will pay rich dividends to speak the truth, than to seek shelter and protection under lies. The profit to loss ration is in favour of truth. If we choose to lie, the loss is inestimable, and most certainly catastrophic, even if there are any short-term gains. Only a fool would choose to walk the path of lies, thinking this is good. None can help such a person. No one, at all.

How about us dear friends? What path do we wish to walk this morning? What do we want to sow? Remember, what we sow, is what we reap…some thirty fold, some sixty, and some hundred fold – Galatians 6:7; Romans 2:5-6; Matthew 13:8.