HONESTY
Notes
Transcript
Show of hands:
Who hear has been lied to? Shout it out - how did it feel when you found ouDoes honesty matter?
Yes! Honesty defintely matters! We live in a world that is increasingly living lives that reflect the direct opposite of honesty. Yet, just about everytime that we give in and lie or tell a “half truth” it never works out. In fact it causes more pain than what it would have costed had we just been honest.
Who hear has lied and got caught? How did that work out?
Why do people lie?
Does honesty matter? Yes! Honesty defintely matters! We live in a world that is increasingly living lives that reflect the direct opposite of honesty. Yet, just about everytime that we give in and lie or tell a “half truth” it never works out. In fact it causes more pain than what it would have costed had we just been honest.
I remember as a kid, there were these cookies that my mom had made, and I couldn’t stop eating them! I was in the kitchen and my mom was cooking supper and she told me to stop eating the cookies and to put the cookies back in the pantry. So I did. She didn’t tell me that to be mean, she was telling me that because she wanted me to eat a good supper. However, when she walked out of the kitchen, guess what I did? I sneakily walked over to the pantry and I got more cookies. I was slamming them in my mouth! I had a mouthfull of cookies and I heard my mom’s footsteps and so I went and sat down real quick. I thought that I would be able to get away with it! My mom looks at me, and you could clearly see that I had a mouth full of cookies. She asks me in a way that she knows but she wanted me to be honest if I got cookies when I wasn’t suppose to. In that moment, I have two choices: tell the truth or be dishonest. With a mouth full of cookies I chose to be dishonest! AND BOY DID I GET IN TROUBLE!
You see, if I was honest, I probably would have gotten in trouble but it wouldn’t have been as much as what it was when I tried to be dishonest. What happens when we are dishonest is that we cause more harm than good. This is what Psalm 34:12-14 says about the importance of being honest:
12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The man who wrote this was a guy named David. He ends up becoming King of the nation of Israel. He wasn’t perfect, but one thing that mattered for him was doing things that reflected His relationship with God. A key part of that is the need to be honest. Even when it is difficult to do so. For David, a key to a healthy and long life is not speaking evil and being deceitful but a healthy and long life is building your character in doing good and being honest.
That’s why our word this month is honesty. As followers of Christ, we are honest in our families, in our school, and in our communities. No matter how hard it may be to be honest. That may even mean that we are But the truth of it is that what typically happens is that our lies are found out, and the damage is so much more damaging. It isn’t worth it.
Remember that honesty is a very important quality to have and that you should always tell the truth. It’s also good to be able to tell when others are telling the truth and when they are lying. Scripture teaches us that we who are followers of Christ are to “...be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
In our actions, we are to do things with integrity. Particularly with being honest. Especially on the field, the course, the video game, and the court. You might ask what does it matter to be honest during a game? Isn’t it more important to help our team win? Isn’t it okay to act like something did or didn’t happen so that it benefits the team?
The answer is no. As hard as what it is, the answer is no. As a follower of Christ, there is something more important than winning a game, passing a test, or getting good grades. It is our witness. Whether you like it or not, your witness about Christ will be a deciding factor in someone’s decision to spend eternity with God or without Him. So you are a witness to the honesty and integrity of God with your actions. Too many people profess Jesus with their lips and will lie to your face. This is what a guy named Joseph Exell said about lying:
Nothing maketh us more like the devil, who is a liar from the beginning, and the father of lies. It is a sin most contrary to the new nature wrought in the saints, and seemeth to offer more violence to it than other sins. It is a sin most contrary to human society. Lying is a sin very hateful to God, and against which He hath expressed much of His displeasure... It is a sin shameful and odious in the eyes of men.
We are called to a standard here. We are called to speak truth. To do good in how we are to speak. Even if it means owning up to the truth. There have been people that have had to be brutally honest with me. I’ve had to be honest with people. And I’m grateful for it. Why? Because I have been in too many situations where I believed people in what they told me, and then find out that what they said was a lie. It broke our friendship. It isn’t worth it. I regret the times that I should have been honest and wasn’t. Lying isn’t worth losing a friend. It isn’t worth damaging your witness.
