Tell the Truth

Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

COLOSSIANS 3:9-10

HAVE YOU EVER TOLD a teeny-weeny little lie to save someone’s feelings? Like “No, Mom, those pants don’t make you look fat.” How about a whopper, a real fishing tale—maybe to get out of trouble? “No, Dad. The orange paint on your new car was there when I got home from school.”

Lies are lies, whether they’re big or small. And when we lie about little things, we’ll also find it easier to lie about really big things. None of that is good. So what do you do when you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings? Find a way to tell the truth in love. “Mom, those pants aren’t my favorite. I think your blue ones look a little better.”

When it comes to the big things, God wants us to tell the truth—and face consequences if need be. “Dad, I took a dare and painted your car with orange paint from the garage. I thought I could wash it off, but when I tried, it wouldn’t come off.” There may be tough consequences when we tell the truth, but those are always better than knowing we’ve lied to people we care about. Plus, lying damages our relationships, and the punishment is always greater when we are found out—and we will be found out. God expects us to be truthful, and it matters that we are. Then people know they can trust and believe us.

DO

Think of a lie you’ve told. At the bottom of this page, write two words that describe how you feel about that lie. How can you be truthful about the situation now?

PRAY

Dear God,

Thank you for always telling me the truth. Thank you for helping me understand just how important it is to you and the people around me that I’m truthful in big things and in small things. Amen.

READ

Proverbs 12:22; 2 Corinthians 8:21