Deeper Life #201

Speak every man truth with his neighbor.

—Ephesians 4:25

WE SHOULD REPORT THINGS THAT happen in words as exact as we can find. But, even then, we should bear in mind that the human heart is subtle and deceitful. We do well to remember William Blake’s quaint words:

A truth that’s told with bad intent

Beats all the lies you can invent.

Scripture says that “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 12:22). Even with good intentions to tell the truth, we shall grieve God if our motives distort the tenor of what we say.

Words are mighty, words are living—

Serpents with their venomous stings,

Or bright angels crowding round us,

With heaven’s light upon their wings:

Every word has its own spirit,

True or false, that never dies:

Every word man’s lips have uttered,

Echoes in God’s skies.

Prayer Thought: Lord, deliver me from speaking falsely, either consciously or subconsciously.

SUGGESTED READING: Ephesians 4:25–32