Friday 8 Nov 2019

November 8: Exodus 20:16

Key Verse: Exodus 20:16
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

Devotion:
There are quite a few places in our bibles which tell us we should not lie, but this commandment goes a bit further by saying we should not tell lies about our neighbours. Who are our neighbours? In this time, the Israelites were living as a huge community or even as a country without being spread over too vast a difference; God was warning them not to come up with lies against other Israelites… the one thing they did eventually do which brought Christ to the cross!

The implications of telling lies go far beyond us, the people we are lying to and those we lie against. Our whole world was affected by the lies people told about Christ! Lives are changed by lies, shortened by lies and ruined by lies; and yet people continue to bring false words against others often without much thought. What would happen if you told lies about God? How would that affect the people you are talking to?

We can combine this with the third commandment which is not to misuse the name of God. I we, as Christians, misuse God’s name, are we not lying to others about how we respect God? I really do cringe when I hear God’s name being used in vain by people I thought knew better – often people have looked at me and apologised afterward, so my face must change too! We are here to bear witness to a God who is real and who is all powerful. We are here to bear witness to His Son Jesus who came to be our ultimate sacrifice for the things we do wrong.

If we, as Christians, cannot set an example for others to follow, how are we ever going to be effective witnesses to others about our amazing God. It does not take long to dig a very big hole for yourself by starting with one lie and having to use another one to back yourself up. People don’t like trusting others who are constantly spreading rumours, telling lies and falsely blaming other for their own shortcomings. If we admit to our faults, allow others to see that and try to do what is right by telling them the truth about God – we have moved forward as witnesses for Christ!

Points to Ponder:
Do you give up when you do something wrong or try to lie about it?

God has never lied about you!