Daily Encouragement: Lying, Stealing, & Cheating

For the majority of my life, I've been a rule-follower, especially in school. If the tardy bell rang at 8:00am, I was in my seat by 7:55am. If we had to read thirty pages in one night, I stayed up and finished it (even if I didn't remember what I read). And I never, ever cheated. So, when I found out that a classmate of mine was cheating on an important exam, I burned with "righteous anger." However, I failed to take into perspective the fact that I happened to lie somewhat often and gossiped and regularly snubbed those that did not meet my standards. Hmm....

This next portion of Leviticus may seem fairly easy for you to obey.... let's take a look:

"Do not steal.

Do not cheat one another.

Do not lie.

Do not use my name to swear a falsehood and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

Do not cheat or rob anyone. Always pay your hired workers promptly." (Leviticus 19:11-13)

Lying, cheating and stealing generally are hurtful to the one we are sinning against, but we also begin to build a wall up between God and ourselves. When we steal, we are saying we do not have faith that God will provide us with the things we need. When we cheat, we are showing Him that we don't trust Him to get us through our trials. And when we lie, even the "little white lies," we are saying that we do not believe God will take care of us if we tell the truth (in love).

I used to exaggerate on a regular basis; I would say little white lies so that I would appear better than I was, and many times I would do this without being aware that I was lying. It took a close study on how God feels about lying and cheating and stealing to get me to consider my own actions.

"A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape." (Proverbs 19:5)

"There are six things the Lord hates--no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers." (Proverbs 6:16-19)

A "lying tongue" is right next to "hands that kill the innocent." God hates it when we lie.

Now, we are not required to say everything we are thinking or share a confidence with another simply because we are asked. (I learned this the hard way.) It takes a little thought sometimes when we are asked a question as to how to answer. Don't be afraid to take the time needed to answer honestly without saying more than what is necessary. Consider these proverbs:

"Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." (Proverbs 15:4)

"A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered." (Proverbs 17:27)

I encourage you today to be aware of the words you say, to those you know and to those you don't. Desire to bring life and health through your words and grow in your faith by trusting God to take care of you when you obey Him.

by Wendie Beddingfield

picture by Melodi T