“God 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?” (Numbers 23:19).
“My dog ate my homework paper,” Denise said, turning red with shame, knowing she was telling her teacher a lie. Denise knew that her teacher, Mr. Morton, might believe her, because she had never before lost her homework and she was a very faithful fourth grader. But inside, Denise had this nagging feeling that bothered her all day. She went home and talked to her mom about it.
“Denise,” Mom said, “have you ever read Numbers 23:19?” Denise quickly turned to it. She was starting to feel worse than ever. The verse said “God 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?” “Denise, I know that you love the Lord with all of your heart and that you want to please Him. I also know that you lost your homework. I found it while I was cleaning your room,” Mom said. “How do you think God feels about your lie?”
“I don’t think He is happy about it. I’ve been feeling bad all day,” Denise said. “Is that the Lord convicting me?”
“Yes, I think it is, dear,” her mom said. “Lying is a very serious sin. God is truthful and never lies, and we who worship and follow Him should try our best to be like Him. When we lie to other people we’re not just sinning against them; we’re sinning against God, too.”
Realizing why she had been feeling bad, Denise prayed, confessing her sin right then and there before her mom and her Heavenly Father. Denise knew she would have to make things right with her teacher too. She was scared about this, but afterward, she felt better. She was happy. She had made things right with God.
My response:
» How do I feel when I lie?
» Does how I live show others the right view of God?
» Do I live to please God or myself more?