Thought for the Day

You will recall that a lying tongue is one of seven things that are an abomination to God (Proverbs 6:16-19). All lies have the potential of hurting others and lead the liar deeper into self-deception, hardening his heart against truth. No one tells a vicious lie to destroy someone without deeply hating him. Hatred is a deadly sin that amplifies other sins. The Bible tells us that God regards hatred as murder. "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15).

A vicious liar is an obvious enemy. A flatterer is an even deadlier one. He hides his hatred with pretended friendship while working ruin in a subtle fashion. "Flattery" in Hebrew means smooth flattering, with deceit implied. Hatred in the heart lures and manipulates one into saying or doing things that will destroy him.

Telling a lie without hatred may not be vicious, but it is still sin - and so is flattery. A sincere compliment, expressing deserved praise or admiration is different from flattery, since it is the truth. Flattery is always used with an ulterior motive. Those who flatter wish to please a person for selfish reasons. If we truly love as Christ commanded, we will not flatter one another. Flattery does not build others up, for it promotes vanity and deception; not godliness.

Jesus Himself and His Word are truth. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). When we give our lives to Christ and practice His Word, we will walk in the truth and in love and speak the truth in love. This will guard our hearts against the dangerous sins of lying and hatred.

"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:14-16).