{"id":1293,"date":"2022-03-05T11:16:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T22:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/?p=1293"},"modified":"2022-03-05T11:16:54","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T22:16:54","slug":"lies-all-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonbeamsandshadows.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/05\/lies-all-lies\/","title":{"rendered":"Lies, all lies!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Numbers 23:19 \u201cGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Our Sunday school class has been doing a series in Proverbs.\u00a0 Recently, the subject of lying was discussed and how that we have been so acclimated to lying that we never get disturbed by it.\u00a0 We “expect” politicians to lie!\u00a0 Whatever is promised, we just take it with a grain of salt!\u00a0 If you have worked in customer service, you probably expect people to lie to you.<\/p>\n

At the other end of the spectrum, how often have you “stretched the truth” or justified a lie to save face or to cushion something?\u00a0 Our study gave examples of how easily people can be deceived by our words.<\/p>\n

A case in point from a personal example:<\/p>\n

Many years ago, I was a secretary for a very elite meeting and banquet facility.\u00a0 Our building was sometimes booked for wedding receptions, family reunions, proms, but also for civic club and sports club gatherings.\u00a0 We had a number of extremely distinguished guest speakers appear for some of these meetings from every college football coach in our Southeast Football Conference, to astronauts, famous scientists, political prot\u00e9g\u00e9s, even U.S. Presidents! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, when five former Secretaries of State were invited to speak at a Civic Club luncheon meeting, there was quite a bit of buzz that day with government security!\u00a0 I was “truthfully” able to brag that, “Oh, yes!\u00a0 I did lunch with Henry!”….\u00a0 Okay, Henry Kissinger WAS one of the former Secretaries of State speaking that day!\u00a0 He and I DID have lunch “together”….. Sounds pretty impressive, huh?\u00a0 But, that is only a half truth!\u00a0 Yes, we were in the same building.\u00a0 Yes, we were served the same delicious, beautiful meal. (One of the perks I enjoyed working at that facility!). BUT, I have failed to mention that, while he was sitting on the platform, I was eating my lunch far, far up in the sound room that had a window overlooking the main floor!\u00a0 He could not see me nor could I carry on a conversation with him!\u00a0 So, did I really have lunch with him?\u00a0 Of course not!<\/span><\/p>\n

Mirroring this study on lying, in Numbers, Chapter 23, we read the conversations involving God, Balaam, and Balak. Verse 19 is where my attention landed. \u201cGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This verse reminded me of Romans 3:10. \u201cAs it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>ALL of us have sinned; Romans 3:23- \u201cFor all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0 Our sinful nature makes us prone to do evil but God would still save us!\u00a0 Romans 5:8 promises us, \u201cBut God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We cannot trust man to tell the truth BUT we CAN trust God!\u00a0 He is not going to mislead us with lies or half-truths!\u00a0 Our Bible assures us that, there is a vast difference in the character of God compared to the character of man.\u00a0 God is NOT man! Aren’t you glad for this?\u00a0 Whatever God says or does, we KNOW we can trust and believe it,\u00a0 \u201cGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/span>\u00a0People may fail us, whether intentionally or unintentionally but not God!<\/p>\n

James 1:7 takes this even a step farther.\u00a0 Not only does God not lie or fails to keep His promises but, He gives us good gifts. Gifts that are for our growth!\u00a0 There is no variableness!\u00a0 He won’t decide that you only get a little blessing because you have not found favor that particular day while someone else gets more for doing the same thing.<\/p>\n

Turning back to 1 Kings 8:56, the Bible, again, reassures us of God’s promises! \u201cBlessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I like the part that says, “there hath not failed one word of all his good promise<\/em>“<\/span>!\u00a0 God will NEVER lie to us!!!\u00a0 When the Children of Israel left Egypt, God led them and kept His promises!\u00a0 THEY failed God and God had to reprimand them often but He kept His promises, even blessing them along the way when they were not deserving of anything!<\/p>\n

No matter what life dumps in your way; no matter how often people may lie or deceive you; regardless of how often you have been disappointed by the actions of others, we can always trust God and His word to be truthful to us! \u00a0 Don’t be deceived when someone tries to twist the straight teachings of God’s word!\u00a0 Or, when someone tries to convince others that a particular passage is not for today!\u00a0 God’s word never changes.\u00a0 It never lies.\u00a0 And, its promises are as faithful and\u00a0 comforting today, this very hour, as they were hundreds of years ago!<\/p>\n

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