[Nov. 22 – Nov. 28 : I Too May Conquer]
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Zephaniah 3:13
Truthfulness and integrity are attributes of God, and he who possesses these qualities possesses a power that is invincible.
Never prevaricate; never tell an untruth in precept or in example…. Be straight and undeviating. Even a slight prevarication should not be allowed.
The Saviour has a deep contempt for all deception. The stern punishment meted out to Ananias and Sapphira shows this.
Lying lips are an abomination to Him. He declares that into the holy city “there shall in no wise enter … any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.” Let truth telling be held with no loose hand or uncertain grasp. Let it become a part of the life. Playing fast and loose with truth, and dissembling to suit one’s own selfish plans, means shipwreck of faith…. He who utters untruths sells his soul in a cheap market. His falsehoods may seem to serve in emergencies; he may thus seem to make business advancement that he could not gain by fair dealing; but he finally reaches the place where he can trust no one. Himself a falsifier, he has no confidence in the word of others.
No man can pride himself on his truthfulness, for unless he has overcome he does not know what truthfulness is. No one can know the strength of his truthfulness and honesty until he has passed the fiery ordeal of the temptation to acquire means in questionable ways.
He whose heart is filled with the love that proceeds from God does not allow self-exaltation or dishonesty to find place in his life. He who is “born again,” of the Spirit, reveals Christ in the daily life. He is upright in all his dealings. He does no sly, cunning, underhand work. The good fruit that appears in his life testifies to the condition of his heart.
