Eph. 4:25

"Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another." Eph. 4:25

You must quit lying.

"Hey, Rev. Edwin. You do not even know me. How can you say thatI am a liar?" That is easy. We are all liars, myself included. "How can you know that? You have never asked a question of me that I have answered." I know it because I know how most people in the world answer one simple question. "How are you?" Did you answer, "Fine?" Is that your automatic response answer? Are you really fine? Are you always fine when you answer that question in this way? See what I mean?

Most people are chronic liars. We all have a chronic habit of presenting our "best face forward." We have built up a persona that we want the worldto see - including our best friends. We may want them to see us as "sweet and innocent," or "rough and ready," or "tough as nails," or "in total control of our own situation." Some of you ladies "paint" yourfaces to cover "flaws" that you know exist in the surface of your natural appearance, or to make yourself more attractive than you really are.

While some of those flaws are real, most are imagined or at least exaggerated. Men, please don't feel smug. We all do the same thing. Have you known someone who combed his hair over the top to cover a bald spot? Do you know a friend who dyed his hair to cover up his white hairs? Do you have a friend who wears a full beard to "hide" a recessed chin, or a childhood scar, or an imagined flaw? How many of us"suck it in" when a pretty lady walks buy, but let it "all hand out"when with our wives?

We are liars. We answer, "fine" when we have a miserable headache,or an aching back, or a breathing problem, or a cold, or... well you get the point. We just don't want people to know what we are reallylike. We want them to see what we want them to think we are. But by doing so we are not being honest.

Dudley Moore, in the 1998 movie "Crazy People," started an advertising business in the asylum where he was committed. All of their advertising had one rule, it must tell the truth. TheVolvo is "boxy" but built to last. A Big Mac might be labeledas "full of fat, but tastes great!" The premise of this flick was that most advertising is not honest.

What would the world be like if all of us were honest? No, let's change that. What would our world be like if Christians were honest? Perhaps we wouldhave fewer feuds in our churches if we were honest and up front in the very beginning. "Rev. John, I really don't like the colour of the carpet we have chosen for the sanctuary. Could we perhaps compromise and go with this color? I know it is not my favorite nor yours, but it has a bit of both colors and is quite attractive." That might shocka few pastors!

Then again, returning to our original question, "How are you today?" imagine the possibilities if the response was, "I have a bit of a headache. Would you pray with me about it?" Or, "I'll tell you the truth, Terry. James and I just had a serious blowout. Will you help me seek God on this matter? I am willing to let the Holy Spirit change me if that will fix the problem." Hmmmmmmmm. Imagine the potential. Amen and Amen.