ICS Daily Devotions
Being Truthful
Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
The Bible has taught us not to lie. It is the devil’s nature to lie and twist the words, including the Word of God. Indeed, this is how he deceived Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s instruction to them was utterly clear. There was only one tree which they could not eat from, and the consequence of the breaking the command was death.
The cleverly-crafted question, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” deceived Adam and Eve into thinking that it was all right to eat from every tree, but of course, what was not mentioned was the consequence of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is that they should surely die. This scheme of deception was a mixture of trickery, deception, craftiness, and manipulation put forth by the devil.
Doesn’t it sound familiar when all the good things and promises are highlighted to us in bold but the critical items that trap us are only found in the fine prints? That is why we should be thankful for those who are observant and detail-oriented among us, such as corporate lawyers or even our spouse!
We need to know that it is a slippery road the moment we attempt to keep the truth from others by being vague, fuzzy, and secretive while presenting a business plan or establishing a partnership relationship. This lack of consistency or clarity will tempt us to break our promises after the contractual agreement has been made, and we will want to protect our own interest thereafter by twisting our words, giving preferential treatment to ourselves, and justifying our actions. This is especially true when we are being pressurised in a tough business environment.
Remember that it was the devil who twisted the Word of God with craftiness and trickery. Therefore, when we are not engaging in real dialogues with others, we are evading the consequences of not delivering what is expected of us. When we are selfish, inconsistent in our actions which are based upon our best interests, we will likely break our promises down the road. However, what we need to remember is that once we lose our credibility, nobody will trust us, do business or partner with us again. It is a huge price to pay!
Sermon Series: It Is More Precious Than Gold
