Attributes of the Almighty

The road sign said 25 mph. The odometer read 40. We know where this story is headed. Although, I want to give fair warning that I don't condone the behavior of the participant. Hi, I'm Jamie and I'm a liar. No sooner had I passed the sign than those pesky red and blue lights were behind me, siren blaring. Sweat beads began to form on my upper lip as I veered the car into a parking lot and panicked. As the officer approached the window and asked for license and registration, all I could think about was my clean driving record quickly about to take a turn south. So, what's a girl to do? Lie. Once again, I'm not proud of this moment but it happened and I've learned from it. I quickly concocted a story about how I was waiting for an important phone call from a family member who was getting out of surgery and was not paying attention to the speed.

A ticket? Nope.The lie pouring out of my mouth left a bitter taste behind. The guilt of knowing I had been dishonest left me wishing it had been a ticket. In Psalm 15 David asks the Lord,

"What is the conduct of a person that may abide in the presence of God?" God answers Him. This Psalm of David- referred to as the “gentlemen’s Psalm” outlines someone who walks with high integrity, honesty and treatment of others.

GOD IS TRUTHFUL

A little kid knows that when they lie there is usally BIG, HUMONGOUS trouble on the other side. As adults we don't seem to always be worried about the trouble that lies ahead for being dishonest.

Why is it important to tell the truth?  As humans created in the Image of God’s Truthfulness, we should bear His image in the way we speak and act. As believers in Chirst, we know the truth. When we anchor ourselves in the truth, it affects the way we live our life.

Anchored in God’s Word, we speak and live honestly.

In Psalm 15:2 the Lord answers David's question by first pointing out that honesty starts in the heart. "The one whose walk is blameless, whose does what is righteous, who speaks truth from their heart;" As believers we need to first and foremost be honest with God. If we speak the truth from our heart, we need to recognize that we are people incapable of being truthful.   We can be so self deceived.We need the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out so we are able to speak and live honestly and that starts by asking the Spirit to reveal where it is we aren’t being honest. 

Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked- who can know it.

Where in your life do you need to surrender your false narrative? Where do you need to acknowledge that you are not living from a place that is right or speaking from a place of truth? 

Let me encourage you that if you feel burdened by a dishonest place in your life, God most truthful isn’t waiting to cast his disapproval on you, He is waiting to receive you. 

The Bible, God’s Word, is the place we anchor ourselves. It is what shows us our sinful nature and reveals what it looks like to walk blameless. Our example is in Jesus. The Word himself who was the only one to speak and live honestly. To have honesty in our hearts we need to ask ourselves, am I anchored in “my truth” or THE truth.

Psalm 15: 2-3 goes on to say that honesty starts in our hearts and then bleeds out into our relationships. "Someone who keeps their word. Whose "tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor , somebody who casts no slur on others." In our daily lives this can look like gossip. misrepresenting someone else or unable to keep a promise you had made. The person walking in fellowship with God will be bothered by this. We need to be people who feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit when we are either going to say something that isn’t true, or have said something that we don’t know to be true. Honesty isn't just avoiding lies, it's actively protecting others with our words and keeping our word when it is going to inconvenience us. 

Honesty not only affects our relationships, it dictates our motives. Does anyone remember the nickname for President Lincoln?  Honest Abe. People called Abraham Lincoln ‘Honest Abe” because he was so honest. For example, once while working as a store clerk, he mistakenly took six cents too much from a customer. That night after the store closed, he walked three miles to return the customer’s money. His character trait of honesty is doubtlessly one reason people later selected him to be the President of the United States. Scripture talks of great reward of giving to those in need, but we need to come clean about our motives behind the use of our money. 

In Matthew 7 Jesus gives the example of two houses. One built on solid foundation, another built on the sand. You can't necessarily tell the difference from the outside of the houses until a storm comes. This is what a life of integrity looks like. When we cut corners with the truth- a small lie there, a broken promise here, it looks fine as long as life is calm. But when pressure hits, when lying would protect our reputation, or when keeping a promise costs us too much time or money, the cracks start to show. The person described in Psalm 15 who has built their life on honesty and is anchored in the truth of God’s Word doesn’t have anything to hide. They do not scramble when the storms come. That storm that looks like pressure, temptation or a culture that is consistently shifting “truth”. 

Are you a person of integrity?

Why is it important to tell the truth? Because, when we live from a place of deception, we bear false representation of our one TRUE KING. Anchor Yourself in His Truth and watch how He changes the way you speak and live.