Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Breaking the Rules (08/16/04)
TITLE: "The Game Of Chance" By Linda Miller 08/22/04 |
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Like many people in today’s society, do you justify yourself by answering with the following responses:
“Well, maybe just one or two little lies. White lies, of course, not black ones. It wasn’t a big lie that would send me to jail, or ruin my marriage or anything quite so spectacular. Just a little lie about what I was really doing last night . . . my husband doesn’t need to know everything.”
“The fact I was gone an extra five minutes on my lunch break is no big deal. People do it all the time . . . come on lighten up!”
“OK, so I didn’t exactly say that along with checking my emails, I also bought a couple outfits from my favorite store online this morning at work. Who cares anyway? My boss wasn’t looking.”
“He doesn’t need to know I find him obnoxious. I like everything running smooth so if I tell him a lie here and there to keep him happy, fine. Who is it going to hurt anyway?”
“Keep everybody happy” is my motto. My boss doesn’t need to know everything about my day. So it’s against the rules, so what? Rules were made to be broken, weren’t they? That’s what I’ve always heard. Nothin’ wrong with that, is there?”
Breaking God’s rules can be a bit frightening when we come up against the truth of His Word. In Proverbs 19:5 God states, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.”
I was reading Revelations, 21:27 one day when the Lord brought to light my sin of lying. God states, “But there shall by no means enter it (heaven) anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” The Holy Spirit convicted me of my behavior, I repented, and God, who is so full of grace and mercy, forgave me. He knew my heart was right before Him, but He also knew that I needed help in this area of my life.
If you are a Christian and find yourself unable to tell the truth on a regular basis, I recommend you ask the Lord to forgive you and ask for His help. God is so faithful to help us when we ask with a sincere heart.
I subject myself daily to the Lord Jesus Christ, and His will for me, with one goal in mind . . . to spend eternity in heaven with Him one day. I spend every day making a conscious effort to tell the truth. No matter whom it hurts, how bad it makes me look or the cost of saying, “I’m sorry” a dozen or so times a day . . . it is worth every single tear and heartache to be able to say, “I have a place in heaven with my Savior.”
Breaking the rules, especially God’s rules, is never a wise choice. In the end, lying might cost us more than we want to pay: we may lose our job, our marriage, a dear family relationship, and yes, even an eternity in heaven with God. Lying only brings shame, distrust of others, and a warped sense of what’s right.
We determine what every circumstance merits . . . a truthful statement or a lying tongue. Every time we open our mouths to speak, we are playing a game of chance with our future. It is too daunting a thought to be taken lightly.
I sincerely hope you aren’t good at playing “The Game Of Chance.” Your future destination is too important.
I am happy to say that I know where I’m headed and a lying tongue is not going to stop me from getting there.