Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self. Colossians 3910 a pastor told his congregation, next Sunday, I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want all of you to read the 17th chapter of the book of Mark this coming week. The following Sunday, the pastor asked for a show of hands to find out how many had read the 17th chapter of the Book of Mark. Every hand went up. The pastor smiled and said, the book of Mark only has 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying. Step up to the witness stand in a court of law and you will be asked if you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. There is a high premium on truth when we stand before a judge, but there should be just as high a premium on telling the truth anywhere. Telling lies, even what some call little white lies, is forbidden in the ten Commandments. Proverbs 13 five says that a righteous, righteous man hates lying. Proverbs 616 19 includes lying as one of the seven things that are an abomination to the Lord. These and many other verses in the Bible make it clear we are not to lie there are many reasons why people lie. Some lie in order to appear to be something they are not, or to fool others into thinking they are not something they really are. Some lie about their credentials or experience in order to get a job. Others lie about being sick in order to skip a day of work. Some people lie to a policeman in hope of getting out of a speeding ticket. A teenager might lie about the reason he missed curfew in order to avoid getting into trouble by his parents. Some people lie to get someone else in trouble. Sometimes people even lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings. But no matter the reason, no excuse is acceptable. We are not to lie. Telling lies can ruin your reputation or the reputation of others. Lying damages your christian witness to the world. Telling lies hurts the church. Lying is an affront to Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Lying is never right, never good, and never ends well. It is a sin to tell a lie. Lying is and always will be wrong in the eyes of God.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to dailythoughtspodcastmail.com dot. Have a great day and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.