A Lying Nature
Proverbs 14:5
A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
For some people, lying makes them uncomfortable, while for others it is second nature.
I think of a movie in which a "city-wise" cop is teamed with two "do-it-by-the book" cops. All through the movie, he tries to loosen them up and tell lies whenever necessary to keep out of trouble with the police department. They are not bad cops, just officers having to break some rules so they can get the bad guys. Finally, the movie ends with the two other cops telling a lie to their superior officer, and thus, the movie ends happily.
Lying has become not only second nature, but esteemed as a virtue for achieving good ends. I remember reading a book by a successful Christian salesman, who gave example after example of techniques based on lying. The premise is that as long as the salesman truly believed in his product, then he may take liberties with his stories.
Today, you will have opportunities to speak the truth or to lie. What will be in your nature to do? Will the thought of telling a lie make you squirm, or will the idea of telling the truth be too unnerving? Will your struggle be over how to tell the truth in love and in a way that glorifies God? Or will your struggle be over how to fudge the truth convincingly and get your way?
A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
For some people, lying makes them uncomfortable, while for others it is second nature.
I think of a movie in which a "city-wise" cop is teamed with two "do-it-by-the book" cops. All through the movie, he tries to loosen them up and tell lies whenever necessary to keep out of trouble with the police department. They are not bad cops, just officers having to break some rules so they can get the bad guys. Finally, the movie ends with the two other cops telling a lie to their superior officer, and thus, the movie ends happily.
Lying has become not only second nature, but esteemed as a virtue for achieving good ends. I remember reading a book by a successful Christian salesman, who gave example after example of techniques based on lying. The premise is that as long as the salesman truly believed in his product, then he may take liberties with his stories.
Today, you will have opportunities to speak the truth or to lie. What will be in your nature to do? Will the thought of telling a lie make you squirm, or will the idea of telling the truth be too unnerving? Will your struggle be over how to tell the truth in love and in a way that glorifies God? Or will your struggle be over how to fudge the truth convincingly and get your way?
posted by M Clark at 2/19/2013 07:06:00 AM
1 Comments:
Can there be a “good lie”? No. Classic example is “Hi honey, do you like my new hairdo, that I just spent a fortune at the salon having done?” The truthful answer is that it is hideous, and the money was totally wasted! The safest answer (minimizing hurt) is a lie, “Yes sweety, it looks lovely.”; that’s certainly the easiest way out of a tough situation. But, with a little thought, maybe you could reply: “Well, it does give you a whole new look, but to be honest I think the old style accentuated your highlights a little better.” Wow! You didn’t lie, and even slipped a compliment in there!
I find that trying to avoid all these “little white lies” every day can be quite a challenge!
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