The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

I don’t know the source of the quote, but it makes a valid point. At my business meeting this week, I spoke with a younger man who asked me for some career advice about the need to maintain our integrity as we do our work, no matter what our work. But integrity goes beyond our work, doesn’t it? 

Have you ever told (or lived) a lie? Has someone told a lie to you? In either instance, an unspoken trust has been broken and there are consequences.

Why is it that we feel compelled to attempt to deceive others at times? And why do we rationalize our behavior?

If you’ve read the narrative of Abraham in the book of Genesis, you are probably aware that God’s friend intended to deceive others on at least two occasions for fear of his own life (Genesis 12:13 and 20:2). 

So, is God endorsing telling a partial truth or a white lie? I’ve heard this before, but many things we read in the bible are descriptive, not prescriptive. So when we read of murder, immorality, and deception, we should not consider it as some kind of heavenly endorsement.

There are times when it seems (smarter, wiser, expedient, safe) to lie, so it takes courage to remain faithful to the truth. 

But, one of the great things about being committed to the truth is you do not have to remember what you said or to whom. It provides freedom in your communication and your relationships and so, let’s be unwavering in our allegiance to the truth.