Integrity!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
If you expand the truth, your credibility contracts.
We know we shouldn't lie, but there are circumstances in life when the truth may seem irrelevant. Is absolute honesty required at all times? Are we obligated to limit our promises to the ones we actually intend to keep? Must we restrict our comments to those that are entirely truthful?
The culture in Jesus' time was so accustomed to making false statements that people would often "swear" to be telling the truth. They assumed that taking an oath of honesty would give greater credibility to their statements. Jesus...taught that integrity and truth have only one level (Matt 5:33-37).
Our word should be enough. Jesus wants our words to be truthful in every conversation. Honesty, integrity, and truthfulness should be more than mere concepts for us. God wants us to put them into practice, and He wants them to be defining characteristics of our life.
