Good morning. Today’s scripture comes from Genesis 33:8 (New Living Translation): “And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked. Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”
Liars have to constantly work at covering up the lies of their past. Isaac named his second son Jacob because he came out of his mother’s womb grasping onto Esau’s heel. The Hebrew for Jacob sounds like “heel” or “deceiver.” From the time he was a boy, Jacob played the part of the deceiver. He stole his brother’s blessing and birthright by lying to his father. He wasn’t honest with Laban when he took his wives and clan away from the valley he had lived in for 20 years. Lying had become a part of Jacob’s daily life.
As Jacob and his family get closer to his brother Esau, he plots to bribe his brother because he fears for his life, because Esau had threatened his life when his birthright was stolen. God has blessed Jacob greatly while working for Laban, who, it must be noted, did not treat Jacob very fairly. After agreeing to let Jacob marry his younger daughter Rachel after seven years of labor, he tricked him into marrying gloomy-eyed Leah first. Then Laban made Jacob work another seven years for Rachel’s hand. Jacob felt firsthand what it felt like to be deceived.
The term “Liars’ Den” means that liars stick together or deserve each other, which certainly suited Laban and Jacob. A liar’s reputation takes awhile from which to recover. Businessmen or salespeople who lie and cheat their customers soon gain the tag of “untrustworthy” or “unreliable.” People like that tell themselves that “everyone does it; what’s the big deal?” God helps Jacob overcome his dishonesty by changing his name to Israel, so he doesn’t have to live down to his namesake.
That’s why God tells us it’s so important to be honest and trustworthy, in all our dealings. When we fail to be honest, we are to go to the other party, confess our sins and seek forgiveness. There may be painful consequences to our lying, such as broken trust in a relationship. Being honest is at the forefront of any healthy relationship. Many dating and marital relationships are strained by lies and deceit. Trust is hard to gain in such circumstances. Warning: If you’re dating someone and lying is a part of their MO, get out now: It’s not too late. Don’t marry a born liar: Married life will be hell for the deceived.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to be honest with all my relationships. Help me to have a heart like Jesus, and be truthful with everyone I come across. Amen
Showing posts with label lies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lies. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, October 05, 2009
God helps us find the truth
Good morning. Today’s scripture comes from Psalm 109:1-2 (NIV):
O God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
for wicked and deceitful men
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
Sometimes kids lie. No, really, they do. They lie to each other, they lie to themselves, they lie to anyone who stands in front of them. They even lie, gasp, to their parents. This may come as a total shock to a parent whose child hasn’t yet reached adolescence. As a teacher, I was utterly amazed when some kids would lie to my face after being caught breaking a rule, and continue to deny it even when presented with evidence. The plan seemed to be deny, deny, deny … and then, blame it on someone else when that failed!
In other words, they’re shirking responsibility for their actions. OK, confession time: I lied to my parents, too. This isn’t a new trend in the 2000s. Kids have been lying since before David’s days. Yes, people lied to David, too, and he was king! He cried out to God about how mad it made him. Then he asked God to speak up about the liars who were ruining his good name.
This is what my wife and I have been confronted with for the past few months. We learned a couple of valuable lessons we want to pass on to others. One, when we were suspicious, we asked God to reveal the sin to us. God was not silent. Two, when presented with the evidence, graciously confront the sin. Ask open-ended questions that gives the kid a chance to confess; don’t just make accusations. Third, there must be consequences to sin. God disciplines his children because he loves us and doesn’t want to see us in pain down the road, and parents must model that with their kids. And, finally, love must be a constant
Imagine if there were no consequences to our sins. What if we placed a finger over a hot flame but didn’t feel anything – and the next day our finger would fall off. We need pain and consequences in order to teach us not to repeat painful mistakes. How do teenagers learn if there are no consequences? Without consequences, kids would continue down the path to destruction. When kids get on the wrong path, we, as parents, must do whatever it takes to get them back on a godly path. We can count on God being on our side when it comes to lying and deceit. He will not remain silent.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, we praise you for being a God who loves us so much you confront us daily with our sins. Your goal is always to have a relationship with us, and you know this is the only way. Amen
O God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
for wicked and deceitful men
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
Sometimes kids lie. No, really, they do. They lie to each other, they lie to themselves, they lie to anyone who stands in front of them. They even lie, gasp, to their parents. This may come as a total shock to a parent whose child hasn’t yet reached adolescence. As a teacher, I was utterly amazed when some kids would lie to my face after being caught breaking a rule, and continue to deny it even when presented with evidence. The plan seemed to be deny, deny, deny … and then, blame it on someone else when that failed!
In other words, they’re shirking responsibility for their actions. OK, confession time: I lied to my parents, too. This isn’t a new trend in the 2000s. Kids have been lying since before David’s days. Yes, people lied to David, too, and he was king! He cried out to God about how mad it made him. Then he asked God to speak up about the liars who were ruining his good name.
This is what my wife and I have been confronted with for the past few months. We learned a couple of valuable lessons we want to pass on to others. One, when we were suspicious, we asked God to reveal the sin to us. God was not silent. Two, when presented with the evidence, graciously confront the sin. Ask open-ended questions that gives the kid a chance to confess; don’t just make accusations. Third, there must be consequences to sin. God disciplines his children because he loves us and doesn’t want to see us in pain down the road, and parents must model that with their kids. And, finally, love must be a constant
Imagine if there were no consequences to our sins. What if we placed a finger over a hot flame but didn’t feel anything – and the next day our finger would fall off. We need pain and consequences in order to teach us not to repeat painful mistakes. How do teenagers learn if there are no consequences? Without consequences, kids would continue down the path to destruction. When kids get on the wrong path, we, as parents, must do whatever it takes to get them back on a godly path. We can count on God being on our side when it comes to lying and deceit. He will not remain silent.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, we praise you for being a God who loves us so much you confront us daily with our sins. Your goal is always to have a relationship with us, and you know this is the only way. Amen
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