PROVERBS 12:1
Afortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare” (Proverbs 12:1). The Bible spells it out for us pretty clearly—LIARS NEVER PROSPER! So why do people lie? Do we think that in some way we’ll be better off if we don’t tell the truth? Mostly, I think that we lie because we are afraid of the consequences if we do tell the truth. I tell lies all of the time, and it certainly doesn’t help me at all. I have a hard time telling the truth! A lot of the time, I beat myself up over it. But we’re teenagers, and let’s face it: We mess up all the time! We need discipline to get anywhere in life. And since discipline is something we really need, we should try not to hate it. I like how the Bible actually says that those who hate correction are stupid, because they really are. People who are afraid of the consequences shouldn’t have been doing those bad things anyway. Telling the absolute truth is so much better than lying! If you tell a lie, the lies just build up, getting bigger and bigger, one after the other. Soon, the lie will involve many people and might get everyone in trouble. When you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember any elaborate story that you made up, you don’t have a huge burden to carry, you won’t feel guilty, and you can start to live the life that God wants you to live. The truth really will set you free!
Kerstin Jones, 17, Stillwater Christian School, Kalispell, MT
Father, when I lie, there is no excuse for it.
Give me the strength to always tell the truth,
no matter what.