Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Taming the tongue...Tuesday!

(I love this image)

No one ever talks about it anymore...but folks are still doing it...LYING!
In our culture it's perfectly acceptable to lie.  

Right now...on my driving license...my weight...well it's not the truth and when they sent in the renew papers...I just signed it...well that's a lie. 

Telling your husband that you didn't overspent when you know you did (it just won't show up until next month...that's a lie.)  

Telling a friend a work that you don't mind them overstepping their boundaries into your cubicle when it drives you crazy...that's a lie folks. 

When a ministry has 65 at an event but we say..."Praise the Lord...we had a hundred..." There we go...lying again...(there's even a name for that one...it's called "ministerially speaking") Well that's still a lie. 

You really want to stay at home...but you don't feel sick....."I'm not coming in today...I guess I'll call in for a sick day."  You didn't TELL the truth...the opposite of the truth...yeah...that's a lie.

And if you have a friend that's a gossip...and she says something slanderous about someone who's not there...you don't gossip...but you don't say anything either...you just let the comment hang in the air...folks if you don't say anything to correct the lie...that's a lie too!

My kids want to know why they can't watch George Lopez on Nick at Night on Fridays...Not only do they use profanity on the show...the daughter is engaged in premarital sex...the grandmother is laughed at for drinking and smoking...but the biggest reason is (like the other stuff isn't enough)...George is known for lying and it's dismissed as being CUTE and funny.

Folks we have to wrangle in our tongues.  Don't let our tongues be like the tongues of the unsaved.  We've been set apart to do God's will and that involves our whole body...including that part that can set things on fire...the tongue.  It's not enough to just say encouraging words...be careful that the things you say don't end up as lies.

How can we do this...
Proverbs 10:19 says it all...
In the multitude of words there wants not sin; but he that refrains his lips is wise.

1.  All we have to do is control what we speak and be careful the amount of the words we speak.

BOY...that's hard.  I LOVE talking and for me to have to control what I speak is a hard thing to do.  (If truth be known...I really have the opposite of this problem...I'm not known for lying...I'm known for talking TOO MUCH. - but I don't feel led to talk about that...that would really step on my own toes.)  O.k. back to the point...If we control what we say, when we say it and how we say it...we won't have to worry about lying because it won't be a hallmark of our speech. Lying won't become a hallmark of our character.

It might be acceptable to lie in our culture...but it's not acceptable to GOD!
Blessings

Proverbs 6: 16-19:
These six things does the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination to him; A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running mischief, a false witness that speak lies, and he that sows discord among the brethren."

6 comments:

Love Abounds At Home said...

Amen girl! Sometimes I'm in disbelief about how much the Saints lie. I want to add another one if that's okay?.....
Writing checks and you know that you don't have enough money in your account to cover it.....that's a lie! Even the banking system has helped us in our lying, it's called overdraft protection!
Like you, I talk too much.
BTW....thanks for speaking the truth about George Lopez' show.

Unknown said...

Like the title. I may have to use that one. You are so correct. WE all have been guilty.

Bethany said...

I lied about B's age to get him in the swim class I wanted, and my children know it. I wish I had waited that extra month to enroll him instead.

Lorrie said...

This isn't a confessional...ha ha! I do know how it is to slip and lie about something in front of your kids and then think..."WHY DID I DO THAT?" I did that at a restaurant once (kid's food price) and of course Nathan said..."Mom I'm not 5! You're wrong!" as loud as he could. Well that was the last time I did that.

A Stone Gatherer said...

I loved this post! The part that always gets me is not speaking against gossip. I call that the sin of omission. We didn't do what we were supposed to do and that is lovingly correct the person gossiping.

Lorrie said...

Stone Gatherer...you're so right. But it's very hard to correct the person gossiping. I am learning to do it a little better but it's hard. Sometimes when I almost do it right I say.."Silly, you shouldn't say that." Well that's not right either...I'm trying to say (very lovingly) "We shouldn't talk about folks that aren't here. I know I don't like that when it happens to me." and then move on. And on the lying thing...I have a lie on facebook right now...when I graduated UCSB...I'm going to go and change that RIGHT NOW!