“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25)
What is the first specific change Paul said must happen in those who follow Jesus? What must we stop (or take off) first? Murder? Rape? Stealing? Nope. It’s lying.
Something tells me most of us would put it further down the list. I’ve heard Christian students openly talking about lying to their parents or others as if it didn’t matter. As if it were just normal teen life.
And it is. But not for Christians, Paul said. We’re not supposed to be normal any more. And the first weird thing that’s supposed to jump out about us is that we tell the truth. Always. No matter what.
Think: What value do you place on telling a lie? Does it feel like a low-cost sin or a big-ticket one? Why do you think it’s such a big deal to God?
Pray: Ask God to make you even less normal by causing an alarm to go off in your head every time you start to think about telling a lie. Then ask Him to give you the courage to tell the truth, even if it costs you something.
Do: Carry a piece of paper with you this week, and make a mark on it every time you catch yourself telling a lie.