Proverbs 12:22 (New International Version)
22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
At Vineyard Heritage Center we have a banner that hangs on our wall that says "House Rules." I thought since we have been praying these Scriptures for a little while now that I would go over these in devotions. There are 12 of them: 1) Always be honest (Proverbs 12:22), 2) Count Your Blessings (Psalms 34:1-3), 3) Bear Each Others Burdens (Galatians 6:2), 4) Forgive & Forget (Micah 7:18), 5) Be Kind & Tender Hearted (Ephesians 4:32), 6) Comfort One Another (1 Thessalonians 4:18), 7) Keep your Promises (Romans 4:21), 8) Be Supportive of One Another (Acts 20:35), 9) Be True to Each Other (Revelations 15:3), 10) Look After Each Other (Deut. 15:11), 11) Treat Each Other Like You Treat Your Friends (Matt. 7:12), 12) Love One Another Deeply from the Heart (1 Peter 1:22).
The first one is from Proverbs 12:22. This is a pretty simple - even a child can understand this one; yet we all seem to fall short of being totally honest. I grew up Catholic and I remember going to confession when I was a young child and that would be one of the first sins that I would confess - "I told a lie 20 times this month." It was probably a lot more times but that's usually what I would say. People say they don't lie and they are proud of it. But if they would actually count how many times in a day they lie, they would be astonished. If they really think about it, they would be amazed they can even lie while they are in church. How many times have Pastors ask people in their congregations different questions and they have sat there and actually lied about the answer. I'm sure we have all done that sometimes. There are times where we actually believe we are telling the truth. There have been times when it has been raining or snowing outside and I have talked myself right out of going to church. Actually I wasn't truthful with myself or anyone who asked me why I didn't go to service. There are no "little white lies." A lie is a lie.
Something else comes to mind when I see this "House Rule." We should always be honest to each other. When we hear rumors that someone has said something terrible about us or something that we think isn't true, then we should go to that person and ask him/her about it. Don't feed into the rumor mill. You remember that old childhood game that we use to play where we would whisper a sentence into someone's ear and by the time it went around the circle and back to you, it was a totally different sentence and many times not even close to what was originally said. So go to your brother/sister in Christ and tell them what you heard they said and if they said it let it go...forgive and forget. Many times you will see that it's not what they said at all.
Start being more aware of what words come out of your mouth. Make sure you are telling the truth. Start praying these "house rules" in your homes and churches and see the change that will come about...prayer is awesome and these are Scriptures so you are really praying the Word of God.
