Gal 4:16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

This jumped out at me because it is such a common problem these days. People lose their jobs from stating simple truths of biology! Jesus said of the devil that “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!” (John 8:44-45) It might be some comfort to realize that Jesus too had the problem of not being believed because He was telling the truth! However, that’s no reason to bow to the lies. We are always to speak in love, (Ephesians 4:15) but that doesn’t mean we are to speak the devil’s lies after him the way some are demanding we do these days. For example, it is not love to tell an addict they don’t have a problem, or that their problem is the fault of someone else. Some branches of Psychology seem to have turned into full-time lie-generating machines! The answers to problems are never found in lies. Thankfully there seems to be a groundswell of reaction against all the lies, particularly as more and more lies are being exposed, but we must be careful to always speak the truth in love, and not vindictively. That said, we must also remember another thing Jesus said: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:19-21) “Light” here is synonymous with truth, and some people are never going to like it. Regardless, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light [truth]; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7) Truth is not an option for Christians.

This naturally applies as much to me as it does to anyone else. I was thankfully raised by a father who held Absolute Honesty as one of his guiding principles, and I think it stuck. That’s certainly not to say that I’ve never lied, not to mention all the times I’ve been mistaken, but it does mean that I’ve never been comfortable with less than the truth. That raises the danger of spiritual pride, and that’s a tool of the devil too! I’ve got to remember that I don’t have a monopoly on the truth, and also that something doesn’t become true just because I say it. I’ve got to keep seeking more of God, which means seeking more truth, but I have the comfort of His promise: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Father, thank You for this reminder and encouragement. Help me indeed walk in Your truth all the time in every way, expressing it in Your love for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!