Verse of the day: Genesis
26:8 Now it came to pass, when he
had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked
through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah
his wife.
I
will begin, today, by saying that I am ever thankful to the Lord that He
chooses to use us even though we are flawed, and imperfect. In this portion of
Scripture we see history repeating itself. Isaac, following in the footsteps of
his father Abraham, has put himself in a position to be rebuked by Abimelech
(not the same Abimelech who his father lied to; as Abimelech was a title such
as Pharaoh was). He did well in not going to Egypt, in obedience to God’s
command in verse 2. However, even though God appeared to him, to give him this
command, he still fell short in trusting God to protect him and his wife while
dwelling in the place that God told him to dwell in (v. 3). Like his father, he
chose to lie in order to escape a danger he perceived in his own mind. As
children of God, we must be careful not to gain a reputation for being
dishonest. When we choose to lie, for any reason, we are acting like the old
man whose ways we are to put off as born again believers. Colossians 3:9
commands us, “Do not lie to
one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds”. My question to
us today is, “Why would we want to be known as liars, when we are children of
God?” Additionally, “Why would we want to be as those that are destined to have
their portion in the Lake of Fire?” Revelation 21:8 tells us that all liars
have their portion in the Lake of Fire. The bottom line is that when we lie, we
will inevitably need to use another lie to cover the first, and so on. The result
will always be that eventually the truth will come out. Isaac lied about his
relationship with Rebekah, but the occasion arose when Abimelech would observe
him behaving in an intimate manner with her, that would not be one of brother
and sister. The Word of God is very clear that what we attempt to cover up will
be revealed; and although it may not be revealed right away, we will not escape
the consequences of being deceitful with our words, or actions. Luke 12:2-3
tells us that there is nothing that we can cover, or hide, that will not be
exposed. Whatever we speak in the dark will be brought to light. The bottom
line is that the child of God should always be known for being truthful, even
if the truth offends. Now please hear me…I said, “even if the truth offends”,
not “even if our attitude in speaking the truth offends”. We are commanded to
speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), because the truth can offend.
However, if a person is offended by our honesty, and the truth of God’s Word,
and not our attitude in communicating it, then the issue is between them and the
Lord. Our relationship with the Lord is founded on the truth of the Gospel. His
truth is what has set us free (John 8:32). It sets us free from the bondage of
sin, and death. As Christians, living truthfully sets us free from having to
look over our shoulders, and worrying about whether or not we had lied to this
person or that person; and if we did, what was the nature of the lie, and what
lie do I need in order to cover the first one? There is nothing better than
being able to live life, not worrying about someone confronting us about
something we said or did that was deceitful, or damaging to our testimony for
Christ. Lest we forget, God warned us that what we sow we will reap. Galatians
6:7-8 reminds us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for
whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh
will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the
Spirit reap everlasting life.” Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth,
and the Life (John 14:6). Let us then, if we are to be more like Him, be known
as ones who always speak the truth, and are honest, trusting the end results, and
consequences of being truthful, to the Lord; even if it puts us in conflict
with those who oppose truth, or would persecute us for our honesty.
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