Scripture
If a king is fair, he makes his country strong, but if he takes gifts dishonestly, he tears his country down.
~Proverbs 29:4, NCV
Quote
“I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
~George Washington
Dishonesty disrupts and destroys in Government, in the court room, industry, education, and in the market place. It destroys relationships, churches and homes. God desires truth and so should we. It is impossible to build anything enduring on a lie. Modern education is falling apart because it is built on lies. We do not live in a democracy, evolution is not a fact, abortion is not a choice, sexual perversion is not OK, George Washington did not oppress black folks, Abraham Lincoln was not a better man than Robert E. Lee and yet they keep the propaganda flowing at an unprecedented rate. I ended yesterday’s blog with a question: What can we do to improve our integrity? I think the place to start is to be honest with God. If we are honest with God, we will have to be honest with ourselves.
While Max Anders was in Seminary, he worked in a school for children with learning disabilities. The classroom had a huge two-way mirror on one wall. When the students looked at the mirror, they saw a reflection of themselves but parents and teachers in the next room could see the kids. The teachers reminded the kids daily that they were being watched but it made no difference. Teachers would give instructions, leave the room and join parents in the observation room and the kids would invariable act up. The teacher could return to the class and scold them but once she or he left, they acted out again. The teachers marveled at the kids inability to understand they were being watched and to act accordingly but aren’t we like the children. Life is a two-way mirror: We cannot see God but He can see everything we do and we still act out.
My mother must have been trained by Sherlock Holmes: she had a way of finding out everything. Once I realized that she knew the facts, I stopped lying and confessed. Had I persisted in the lie, the punishment was going to be more harsh. I didn’t have any integrity, I would lie if I thought I could avoid a beating but I could tell when she knew and there was no need to lie when she already knew the truth. God knows the truth about you and myself. It’s foolish to lie to God and yet, like children, we continue being dishonest with Him, ourselves and others.
Our nation is suffering from a moral crisis, from a lack of integrity. It is so bad that the news media has become a joke. Dan Rather and Brian Williams are not exceptions, they are the rule. They got fired because their lies embarrassed the industry but they all lie. How many lies does a man have to tell for you to lose trust? One is all it takes for me and Big Mama. I talked Big Mama into going to a Cow-puncher {chiropractor} and she laid down on the table only after he gave her his word that he wouldn’t pop her neck. Well the dumb idiot couldn’t resist the temptation and while he was smooth talking, he popped her neck. She came off that table in a split second and put that finger in his face and said, “You lied to me and you will never touch me again.” And he hasn’t to my knowledge. How do you do business with a dishonest person? How can you have an enduring relationship with a dishonest person?
Socrates, the Greek philosopher said, “Know yourself,” but that is impossible without God’s help. Be honest with God and He’ll be honest with you. By His marvelous grace, He will reveal YOU to YOU. His Spirit and His word will enable you to see yourself. I was listening to Adrian Rogers preach as I drove to Huntsville a few days ago and I got under such conviction I thought I was going to have to pull over and stop. If we will get honest with God, He will show us our sin and trust me–When He shows you your sin, you will not be so concerned with the sins of others.
