July - 17
TO TELL THE TRUTH
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16
Some people believe that lying is only a problem if you really hurt someone—or if you get caught. But God doesn’t see it that way. God cares about the truth because our relationships depend on it. Like God, Christians believe that honesty is very important.
Of course, being honest is not the same as saying everything you think. If you don’t like something, or you believe a comment someone made is pretty foolish, you don’t necessarily have to say so. There are also times when telling the whole truth can cause too much hurt.
I grew up with the example of people who hid Jews from harm in World War II and lied about it when German soldiers asked them. In that situation, the effect of deception was more in line with God’s intention for relationships and caring for others.
But rare exceptions shouldn’t blind us to God’s basic demand for honesty in relationships. If I am going to re¬late to you in a loving way, I need to be able to count on you for the truth. If I can’t, I will feel manipulated, be¬come suspicious, distrust your word, and eventually be¬come alienated from you.
Lying changes more than the facts; it also changes the liar. If I lie to you, I erode our relationship, whether or not you know I lied. Lying to God does the same thing. The only difference is that God already knows.
PRAYER
Lord, even though we may be solidly against outright lies, it’s hard at times not to be deceptive. Help us to honor others with honesty and to speak the truth in love. Amen.
有些人相信，说谎如果伤害人，或遭人揭发，那才算是问题，然而神却有不同的看法。神看重说诚实话，因为我们与人的关系取决于我们是否诚实。跟神一样，基督徒相信诚实是非常重要的。
当然，诚实不是把你心想的全盘托出。如果你不喜欢某些东西，或你认为别人说了一些颇为荒谬的话，你不一定要讲出来。也有些时候，道出事情全部真相会带来太大伤害。
在我成长那个年代，我看到一些这样的例子，当时是第二次世界大战，有些人拯救犹太人，把他们藏起来，当德军盘问时，他们便隐瞒事实。在这种情况下，这些隐瞒带来的后果，是较为合符神的意思，因为神是要求人彼此关顾的。
然而，罕见的例外不应令我们漠视，神根本上仍然要求我们要诚实与人交往。如果我要与你以爱交往，我需要能够信得过你会讲诚实话，如果不是这样，我便会感到被你操纵，对你产生戒心、和不相信你所讲的，以致最终远离你了。
说谎不但歪曲了事实，它更改变了说谎的人。如果我对你说谎，无论你晓得与否，我已损坏了我们的关系。对神说谎也是一样，不同之处是，神其实早已知道你在说谎了。
祷告
主啊，虽然我们可能坚决反对公然说谎话，但有时我们却很难做到不欺诈别人。求祢帮助我们诚实待人，又以爱心说诚实话。阿们。