Dick and I just finished watching 13 seasons of a program
called, “Death in Paradise”. It is about a close-knit
police team on a Caribbean island and is filled with many instances of comic
relief. It is not gory or explicit. It’s purely fictional. However, it most certainly highlights
many truths, both positive and negative, about humanity.
In every episode there is one glaring commonality—people lie.
The reasons we lie vary. As in “Death in Paradise”, we often lie to avoid retribution—even as children we lie to avoid being punished. We may lie to protect the image others have of us. We might lie to safeguard our chances of achieving something we want. We frequently lie to transfer blame for our own misdeeds.
We may sugar-coat lying by calling some untruths “little white lies” or try to justify a falsehood by claiming it was harmless. However, God doesn’t see it that way. God’s view of lying is clear. According to Proverbs 6 there are seven things the LORD hates, and a lying tongue is one of them. (v.19) In God’s Ten Commandments we are told, “Do not lie.” (Exodus 20:16) Proverbs 12:22 warns us that “The Lord detests lying lips.” And liars are listed with those who Revelations 21:8 says will be condemned to Hell.
Like the criminals in “Death in Paradise”, we may try to cover up our guilty actions by spinning a tale that paints us in a good and innocent light. However, there is One who knows the truth, One whose opinion of us is all that matters.
Lying is serious to God! Next time we are tempted to utter a lie, no matter how “white” or “harmless” it may seem to us, I pray that God will remind us that He expects His followers to ALWAYS speak the truth. (Ephesians 4:15, 25)
Be encouraged!
