JANUARY 19, Proverbs 12:22

“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord...” What is the meaning of abomination? It is a very strong word which expresses feelings of extreme disgust or hate towards something. God is holy and righteous. The Bible says that God hates lying lips.

“Hey Wei Ling. That was a good plunge.” Jocelyn lied to Wei Ling so that she would not get to improve her technique and become a faster swimmer than her. They were supposed to be close friends and were both training hard to compete in the school swimming competition.

“But I felt some pain in my tummy when I hit the water. Didn’t Coach say that it is because I didn’t jump high enough?” Wei Ling wanted to confirm her suspicion with her trusted friend. Suppose Wei Ling finds out that Jocelyn could not be trusted, what do you think will happen? It really hurts when your close friend turns out to be a liar. One example of such a friend was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.

Lies do hurt people. They cause people to have wrong thoughts and do the wrong things. Do you know who is known as the Father of Lies? Yes it is the devil. Adam and Eve believed his lie about God’s words regarding the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That caused Adam to sin and his disobedience landed the whole human race into trouble. We are all born sinners bound for hell. People who love to lie, do not love God.

Telling the truth delights God. That is why we must always tell the truth if we love God. Some people may tell you that some lies, called white lies, are harmless because they help to shield people from pain. Never believe that because lies always hurt and a lie is a lie, no matter what you call it.

Can you guess who is called the Father of lies?

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Do you know who the Bible says the first liar was?

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Thought: God hates liars but loves those who are truthful.

Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, help me understand how much it hurts You when I tell a lie. Help me to repent if I have done anything wrong and not lie to get out of trouble. I want to be truthful always because it pleases You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.