"What They Say"

I’ve spent lots of time it seems,

Wondering what is true,

You cannot always trust the ones,

That make their swear to you.

They said, for example,

That horse was broke to ride,

Safe enough for any kid,

But they did not confide,

That sometimes that old gentle one,

Will duck his head and buck,

He is mostly gentle,

Till the kid runs out of luck.

They said you can count upon,

This or that they say,

But then you find it’s different,

And not always that way.

People may intend the best,

And promise things sincere,

But then they often change their mind,

When stress for them gets near.

And that’s why when you buy a home,

Or maybe a new car,

The paperwork is endless,

Sets high the legal bar.

So we avoid a lawsuit,

But they happen anyway,

All because we can’t be sure,

About what people say.

Used to be not long ago,

When you made a deal,

A man would give his word to you,

A firm handshake you’d feel.

And that was that, the deal was done,

Just as sure as sure can be,

And Lord knows it would be real good,

If we’d go back to that, you see.

There are those who say it,

And it’s then do or die,

Their word to you is certain,

They’d never, ever lie.

But, bottom line, we fully trust,

In what God has to say,

You can find it in the Bible,

Good for every single day.

And He will never change His mind,

‘Bout all He promised you,

Both now and forever,

He always will come through.

“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth…” (Ephesians 4:25, NLT)

Someone has said that the last thing Christians give up is lying. In a deceitful world, it is very challenging for some of us to give up exaggerating, or spinning or shading the truth. Somehow the temptation is to tell the parts of the story that make us look the best or give us some kind of edge. But Jesus said the truth would set us free, and Paul counseled specifically that liars who’ve been saved should stop lying and speak the truth. The Holy Spirit will help us. He is called the Spirit of truth.

Lord, help us to stop lying and tell the truth, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.