Ten Commandments
9. Do Not Lie

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. _{(Exodus 20:16)}

Society today is plagued by lies. People:

• Take days off work when they are not sick.
• Falsify insurance claims.
• Cheat on their partners in marriage.
• Sell things using misleading descriptions.
• Lie on application forms to paint a more favourable picture.
• Make up stories about others to make money.
• And many many more.

Some lies seem to be more acceptable than others; and a quick look in the Thesaurus shows that we have introduced many different words and phrases to cover the simple act of lying.

God knows the devastating consequences that follow on from lying; it causes breakdowns in our personal relationships; our community relationships and ultimately in our relationship with God.

We need to exercise control in our lives: to be honest in all that we say and do; to face up to difficult situations truthfully. Where we see injustice then to be true to God we need to speak out against the injustice. Failing to speak is lying by omission.

Our human nature means that we find it easy to lie, but that is no excuse. As Christians if we lie we need to submit ourselves to Christ that we may be forgiven as well as facing up to the relationships we have been broken.

On a personal level we need to look at ourselves and ask ourselves in what areas of our lives are we not living in totally honest relationships. Maybe you have broken relationships - perhaps you need to make the first move and begin the process of restoring that relationship.

Just take a few moments to imagine what it would be like to live in a society where no one lies. Do you agree that it would be a better place?