BIBLE STORY: Man of God from Judah. (1 Kings 13)
BIBLE VERSE: “Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.” Proverbs 11:3 (NLT)

Think about a used car salesman. Now think about a mechanic. Now think about a lawyer. Are you thinking very nice things? If you are like most people, probably not. Our culture is full of stories about dishonesty and corruption in these fields of work. Are all used car salesmen selling bad goods to good people? Do all car mechanics recommend expensive and unnecessary repairs? Are all lawyers valueless, amoral, shysters? Of course not.

But we all have heard about the dishonest ones, so much and so often, that when we think of these professions, we don’t have many nice thoughts. The dishonesty of the few, hurts the reputation of all.

But lies and dishonesty hurt more than people’s reputations. When we lie we can cause pain for everyone around us. If you have ever been lied to, or lied about, you know that it hurts. Even when the truth is uncovered, the pain is still there. In the Bible Story, the prophet actually causes the death of the Man from Judah because of his lie. When we lie, we can never know the all the possible consequences of what we are doing. A simple lie can grow into something that creates horrible consequences for people around us.

We have all heard examples of how a lie got someone in trouble. But we shouldn’t just think about ourselves when we consider the consequences of lying. Those around us can be injured equally, or even more than we are by our dishonesty. So if you can’t be honest for your own sake, be honest for God’s sake, and for the sake of those around you.