The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/deuteronomy/5.htm

First Commandment – Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Second Commandment – 8‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 9you shall not bow[c] down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, [d]visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and [e]keep My commandments.

Third Commandment – 11‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him [f]guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Fourth Commandment – 12‘Observe the Sabbath day, to [g]keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Fifth Commandment – 16‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Sixth Commandment – 17‘You shall not murder.

Seventh Commandment –18‘You shall not commit adultery.

Eighth Commandment – 19‘You shall not steal.

Ninth Commandment –20‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

The Bible talks about “bearing false witness”, in the context of lying in court about another person. Specifically it says we should not lie to punish the wealthy nor give favor to the poor, in other words, economic or social status has no bearing on telling the truth.

And that is where the real meaning of this Commandment comes in; DO NOT LIE.

We’ve all lied, it’s human nature. Even it was a small lie, it’s still a lie. As I said yesterday, I’m the guardian of an adult special needs male, and I often catch him lying to me, but he doesn’t call it “lying”, he calls it “telling a fib”. Lie, fib, it’s all the same.

Have you ever passed a homeless person or beggar on the street and have them ask, “Hey buddy, can you spare a buck?”, and have you ever told them, “Sorry, don’t have any cash on me right now.”, when indeed you did? You didn’t, for whatever reason, want to give the person money, and instead of just saying that, you told them a lie. That’s a violation of the Eighth Commandment.

Back when I still smoked, my family had just eaten dinner at a restaurant in a nearby town, and I had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. While I was there, a man in a wheelchair came by, “He buddy, I’m a disabled veteran, and I’m short on cash until my disability check comes in. Can you spare $5 for some food?” I reached into my pocket, pulled out a fiver and gave it to him. Then I watched as he rolled his wheel chair down the street a half a block, and wheeled himself right into a liquor store, and judging by how easily he did it, he had wheeled himself into the liquor store many times before. To quote a cliche, “That wasn’t his first rodeo”.

When I complained to my wife, she admonished me, telling me that my money was a “gift”, and after giving it, it was theirs to do as they pleased. If I wanted to give them a gift fine, if I didn’t want them drinking my gift up, don’t give it.

I know there are plenty of con artists out there, but my wife’s generosity rubbed off on me (thank God), and now when I gift someone some money, I sternly advice them, “Get yourself some food!”, but that’s the end of it. If they go to the grocery store, if they blow it at McDonald’s, or if they go to the liquor store, that is their privilege. And I can’t let a few bad people spoil my generosity; the people that are truly in need shouldn’t be punished because of the actions of a few.

As children, we all “tell fibs”. Did you clean your room? (Yes). Did you finish your homework? (Yes). Did you eat all of the cookies? (No). We lie to keep out of trouble, but that is still a lie.

Every been stopped for speeding, and you tell a whopper to the officer, trying to get out of a ticket? There’s a video on social media where a girl pranks her father, calling him on the phone and telling him she had just been stopped for speeding and that she told the officer that her father had fallen, and now the police were following her home, and would he please help her? Of course it was all fake, just a prank, but when she got home, her father was laying at the foot of the stairs, feigning a fall down the stairs. And yes, it was just a prank, but there are plenty of ways to prank people without telling lies. And if it indeed had been a true situation, wouldn’t the father have been complicit in helping his daughter lie?

We’ve lied to our parents, we’ve lied to our teachers, we’ve lied to babysitters and friends. But as adults, where do the lies stop?

Have you ever lied on a job application or during a job interview?

Did you lie about your weight when you got your driver’s license?

Have you lied about quitting smoking when in fact, you have a pack in the glovebox and you smoke while you’re on your way to and from work?

And finally, have you lied to God? I’ll confess, I have. You don’t know how many times in my younger days when I would be hungover from a night on the town, and be at the toilet throwing my guts up, and saying, “God help me through this and I’ll never drink again!” And the hangover ends, and the next night you are out on the town drinking again.

Lies to God are not good. Breaking a vow to God is not good. You should lie to NO ONE, let alone God.

And again, the last six Commandments are focused on how we treat each other, and it is always best to be truthful to friends and family, regardless of the cost. I can tell you, I always wanted to be a fireman, for as long as I could remember. And at the age of 18, my dream came true. Of course, I wasn’t perfect, I made mistakes, and I was often confronted with them. My Assistant Chief was a no-nonsense leather lunged fireman who I respected and admired greatly. The first time I was confronted with an issue, I had a chance to lie, not to save myself, but to save another fireman. I thought about it, and I knew if I was caught in a lie, he would never be able to trust me again, and that would have tore the heart out of me. So I decided to be truthful and keep his respect.

What about God? If we lie to God, are we so upset with ourselves that it tears our heart out? Are we distraught with ourselves, or is it “no big deal”. Here’s the reveal, God knows all. He know when you lie, He knows your heart and knows when you are thinking about lying.

Remember Cain. “Where is your brother?” “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain was trying to lie to God, to hide the terrible deed he had done. And God knew, before He even asked Cain where Abel was.

And God knows when you lie, to Him, or to anyone.

Honesty is the best policy. God bless you all.