Read: Matthew 5:33-37

A Bloomberg Business Week article once shared a Cornell University professor’s survey of 30 undergraduates and their communications with others.  He found that lies were told in 37% of their phone calls, 25% of face to face conversations, and only 14% of emails.  He went on to share the reason for this by saying that it is because emails leave a permanent trail and the other forms of communication do not.

In other words, students were afraid of being found out about their lies.  I would assume this study would translate into our broader culture with close to the same percentages, which means one thing, people are much more willing to be dishonest or to lie if they know that it won’t come back to bite them in the future.

In Matthew 5 Jesus says that we are to be so honest that we shouldn’t even have to swear to someone that we are being truthful.  In other words, our lives are to be a testimony of honesty so that others do not doubt for even one minute whether we are telling them the truth or not.  And when we think that we are the only one that knows about a lie that we have told we are forgetting about the “all knowing” power of God.

Jesus says, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”  Be sure of yourself, be honest and truthful, and live your life with those character traits being evident to all those around you.  When people describe us may they say, “She is a woman of her word” or “He is a man of his word.”

Make It Personal:  As you go about this week think about the temptations that come about lying.  When you sense them coming, ask Jesus to help you be honest even if you and Jesus are the only ones that know about it.  In the long run this will allow you live a much more peaceful life.