Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday August 9, 2007

I spend a good deal of time in a so far vain attempt to teach people the biblical truth that you must learn to live with yourself in good conscience. By this I mean having peace about your decisions and your actions as they relate to you and others.

You cannot have peace and practice deceit. Deceit is a small word which plays an enormous part in life. A close observer will note deceit on every hand, in business, education, religious life, you name the field and deceit has made and is making inroads to the detriment of said field. And just as rushing water over barren fields leaves gaping ruts and gullies on the landscape, so deceit ravages the inner beauty of the soul.

The problem with deceiving others is simple; when we deceive others we deceive ourselves because we pretend it is okay. And our spirit will not permit peace and deceit to rule in the same heart. If the peace of God which passes all understanding is ruling in our heart, deceit must take the first train out of our life. And vice versa.

Possessing inner peace is demanding as it requires the continual development of character.

Peer pressure is usually thought of as the bane of youth, yet adults are more prone to practicing deceit than are the young. I talked with a man the other day and he told me with tears running down his cheek that he stayed with the wife and children for financial reasons alone. While in this condition he is serving as a deacon in another church. By doing this our brother is deceiving those who honor him as a deacon. More than a few preachers are in the same boat. You might be surprised to note the vast following the 'fake it til you make it' philosophy has attracted over the last 25 years. Check with Unabridged Webster and see a large page covering the vastness of deception.

The Bible covers the subject as being part of the first dramatic failure of the race. Eve was deceived! The word is used 43 times in the Bible and it is never approved. Solomon writes in Proverbs 20:17 "Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel." Self deception may be worse than deceiving others, 1 John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Shakespeare covered this spiritual malady in Hamlet. Lincoln stated:

"I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reigns of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me."

The grand Scottish Author, Sir Walter Scott wrote: "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" The destructive power of deceit hasn't changed since Eden. Why do you think this devastating practice will spare you?

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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