When I was a young child, probably around six or seven years old, my parents told me and my older brother that they needed to run a few errands away from the house. My brother and I were told that we could not leave the house, including taking the bike ride down to the convenience store about a block or so away. We would often ride our bikes to the store for candy, and we felt that this day should not be any different.
Once they left home, we knew we had about an hour before they would arrive again, so we went to the store anyway. When we returned with our ultimate reward of more sugar, we received a phone call from our parents. We were asked if we had left home and of course we said we had not. My father informed us that the neighbor had let them know that we did leave and that our punishment was sure to come when they got home. Let’s just say our celebration was cut very short and the reward of disobedience did not feel nearly as pleasant. What made things worse is that we lied, which is not something any of us wants to make a habit in life. Let’s see what God says about Himself on this topic of lying,
“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”
Numbers 23:19 (NLT)
In our quest to become more like God, this is a good reminder to take into life – don’t lie. We can only truly be free when we keep a clear conscience within ourselves and toward God. Every one of us has that small whisper of a voice that tells us when we are doing something wrong. We call it our conscience and it is a very important part of who we are. As long as we listen to that voice, we tend to make good choices. Unfortunately, many do not listen and eventually that voice begins to fade with each time you ignore it. The Bible says this about what happens when we continually ignore it,
“These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.“
1 Timothy 4:2 (NLT)
Notice that the natural result of a dead conscience is to become hypocritical and lie. This is definitely not what we are striving to become, so it is better to avoid getting there altogether. This is why my parents responded to us like they did about disobeying their instructions and lying about it. It was less about two kids wanting to take a quick trip to the store for the candy. It was simply an opportunity to help correct us in our wrong belief that conducting ourselves in this way was acceptable. The temporary pain that we endured was a small price to pay to allow us to grow up and still hear that voice whisper to us “just tell the truth” when it matters most. Here’s what the Bible says about it,
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11
As I’ve mentioned in other blog posts, believers in Jesus Christ know God as our Father. Similar to my earthly father’s discipline, our heavenly Father may find it necessary to discipline His children. Even when my earthly father was disappointed or frustrated with my behavior and even disciplined me for it, I knew he always loved me. Why? Because he never left me, always took care of me, and my temporary discipline did not mean I could no longer approach him.
Yet, when we experience God our Father’s discipline, we sometimes believe that He left us, isn’t taking care of us, and that we are no longer worthy to approach Him. In reality, your temporary pain is allowed in your life to produce the fruit of righteousness and peace, while keeping your conscience alive. Please believe that if you are a son or daughter of God, here’s a promise that you can stand on forever,
“…God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
When the opportunity arises again, listen to that still, small voice and remember – just tell the truth.
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