2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 11-12 GW; Proverbs 4 GW
Honesty demands truth.
As a golfer, nothing tests my honesty like a slice drive hit deep into the woods. My first hole played required sixteen strokes before the ball rolled into the cup. The par for the hole was four strokes. When the ball takes me four times the amount of regulation play, deceptive words seem attractive. But as my husband says, the only way to know if you have improved is by telling the truth. Count every stroke, every penalty, as hard as it is. Now, I typically double-bogey the hole, which means six strokes, two over par. Nine years later, I’ve improved.
If you don’t tell the truth, you won’t know how far you’ve come.
Truth tellers are rare to find on the golf course. Nothing has disappointed me more than learning this fact. A lot of people shave their scores with deceptive words. Scorekeeping challenges integrity.
However, God doesn’t care about the score, no matter what the game is. He cares about our hearts; honest hearts don’t use deceptive words. Truth tellers count every stroke.
Count the strokes.
Remove deceptive words from your language. You may think misleading speech makes you look better, but it doesn’t. Lies are constantly exposed. Choose to tell the whole story. God knows what kind of language you’re using; He’s not a fan of deception. Just because you’re struggling to finish the first hole doesn’t mean you should feel ashamed. God doesn’t love us because we’re perfect. God perfectly loves our imperfections. God is on the sidelines cheering you on to victory. All God wants is for you to trust Him and keep going. You don’t have to lie; God loves you just as you are.
Keep an honest score. Remove deceptive words. Watch how God grows you. Humble hearts keep us grounded in truth. God doesn’t care about the score; He cares about you.
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Lord, our heavenly Father, thanks for being our most significant cheerleader. Thank You for walking beside us on the sidelines as we maneuver through this game of life. Forgive us for lying, for trying to make ourselves look better than we indeed are. Instead, Lord, help us embrace truth. Remove deceptive words from our vocabulary. Help us tell the whole story today, Lord, not just the parts we like. IJNIP. Amen
Question for reflection
Where have you used deceptive speech lately?
