Verse of the Day - Proverbs 26:18-19

Just as damaging as a mad man shooting a lethal weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking."
~ Proverbs 26:18-19 (NLT)

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People often try to cover up lies and deception by saying, "I was just joking...", as if that's the way to get out of getting caught being untruthful. If the other person doesn't accept that, then "you just can't take a joke!" How Satan twists relationships, huh?

Who can you trust? Are people interested in integrity, or personal gain? Do they care about relationships, or just getting what's theirs? And when did we begin to believe that we could get over on someone with a lie by just turning it into a joke?

The Bible says that's like standing on a street corner with a military assault rifle and picking people off like they were ducks on a pond. A mad gunman, slaying people without a care in the world...

What we say matters. It should matter to us, because it is a reflection of what's on the inside...

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. ~ Luke 6:45 (NIV)

If we're only interested in self and selfish pursuits, deception and lies are just tools to elevate oneself and get what we want. If we keep doing it long enough, it won't even seem very wrong to us. It was just a little white lie...it was a fib--that's not a lie, really...I was just joking--C'mon, man...

And when we're self-motivated, other people are just collateral damage. They lose value, becoming expendable. It becomes all about the Almighty Me. Unfortunately, when you kill off all your friendships with deadly lies, Almighty Me becomes a very lonely place. And then what you do you have to keep you company? A liquor bottle? Your accumulation of toys? Ultimately, the price of a selfish lifestyle is very high, indeed, because the things that really matter...personal integrity and other people...are laid waste in a sea of unscrupulous gunfire.

If you struggle with honesty in relationships, I pray you can acknowledge that to yourself and to God. Allow Him to clean out the junk you've allowed to build up. Choose to value others higher than yourself and to honor God with an honest heart. The result is having friends that love you for who you are and never having to cover your tracks with "I was just joking..."

Love,
Joelene