Honesty with God

"The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." -Psalm 145:18.

"Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight." -Prov. 12:22.

Dishonesty and lies seem to be everywhere these days; from the head of our nation on down through its judicial system, in virtualy every business, and in nearly every home. I'm sure that in our present day world, George Washington wouldn't be quite so forthright about that cherry tree! We are just seeing lies on every possible level, and in every relationship imaginable. It has become so deeply ingrained within us, that many times we are not even aware when we tell a lie, or hear one!

Brethren, honesty starts at home. "He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much." Please make sure that what proceeds from your lips is the truth, and is not meant to be deceptive in any way. The Bible is a terrific place to start, in developing a pattern of TRUTH.

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." -John 17:17.

Above and beyond our honesty with others, is our honesty with God. Such is the reflected truth of this blog's opening verse. I have been guilty of this many times myself; though of course it was not a premeditated eventuality. Upon discovering this hidden duplicity, I was rightfully grieved at my own corruption. Have you ever pledged something to God, and not followed through? Does your Christian walk accurately portray Jesus our savior, whose brother you claim to be? Remember that nothing ever escapes the watchful eye of our Lord!

"Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight." - Prov. 12:22.

We do not intend to lie to God, and we are certainly aware that he already knows our every thought. Yet we are given strict warning about deceit, caused by our very own hearts;

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" -Jer. 17:9; with bold type, italicized, and underlining added by myself for emphasis.

Most of us realize that repentance is a vitally necessary part of salvation (Acts 2:38). But do we even know what genuine repentance is all about? To repent means not only a sorrow for sin (II Cor. 7:9,10), but also a change of behavior, or intent. When the Lord repented for the creation of mankind in Genesis 6:6, it wasn't because He had sinned! It expressed a regret, and the consequence of His repentance was the flood.

Perhaps someone you know is habitually running late, usually arriving with the apology, "Sorry that I'm late." Such an apology does not reflect a genuine repentance, because their behavior never changes! Still, only too many of us tend to "run through" prayers of supposed repentance, in order to quickly clear the slate, and get back into good standing with God. I know this, for I have also been very guilty of such behavior.

God HATES sin! The brutal beating and tortuous death our savior endured was for our sins. We need to take time during repentance, asking God to reveal yet even more sins, and the grief they bring to Him. Yes, He does love us, but the sin He hates; and so should we! We also need to take the time to seek the Lord's wisdom in how to avoid these areas of sin in the future. This is the type of self-denial, and daily cross bearing that Jesus told us about (Luke 9:23,24).

In short, is Jesus the LORD of every part of your life? Why do you call Him Lord, when you are not doing what He says? See Luke 6:46, Matt. 7:21, John 12:48, and John 14:23. Yes, it is also true that we will be growing in spiritual perfecting our whole lives; let us then pray with the Psalmist, "Unite my heart to fear thy name." -Ps. 86:11.

We need to stop compromising the instructions from God's Word; this is a form of denying Christ! Break those yokes you are sharing with spiritual unbelief; come out from among them, and be separate (II Cor. 6:14-18).

Please understand, that being honest with God means to live what you profess- which is obedience to the Bible! Remember that words count just as much as actions (Matt. 12:36,37; Eph. 5:3,4), and our time here is short.

Also remember that we are accountable for every instruction preserved for us in God's Word, which is a far greater sum than merely the 10 commandments. Think of the example with the "rich young ruler", as we discussed in an earlier blog. He knew those basic commandments and kept them, but was still found lacking (Matt. 19:16-22)! I John 3:22 shows that we should keep the commandments, but also do those things which are pleasing in God's sight.

Yet if we address the 10 commandments, we find that we are not to take the name of the Lord in vain (Ex. 20:7). Brethren, this means far, far more than merely swearing! If you claim to be a Christian, you had better be well committed to living like one at all times- nothing can be hidden from our God (I Cor. 4:5).

Jesus was also tested regarding which commandment was the greatest (Matt. 22:36-40), but He did not respond from the writings on the tablets He had given to Moses! His response came from Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18 (the 10 commandments are in Exodus 20, and Deut. 5).

Are you being honest with God? Is He the Lord of your finances, your time, your thoughts? If you actually pray about any of those things, is it with a mind open to where the Holy Spirit will lead, or have you already determined your course of action in advance?

This life, brethren, is a real challenge! To see the results that are pleasing to God, we need to submit all of our ways to Him. It won't be popular or well-received by those around us, but it is road that follows Jesus.

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." -John 17:14.