The Honesty Policy!
Saturday's Devotion (5-5-07)
"Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness." Exodus 23:1 (KJV)
Don't you just hate it when someone says something false about you? Don't you hate it more when they say this false thing in order to get you into some kind of trouble? A false report about someone is an evil thing to make, doesn't matter if that report is to the police or to a neighbor... If you make a false report on someone else it hurts that person! I remember when I was in grade school. Someone (Not naming the person,) made a report to my school that I was missing days to take care of my father who had brain damage. My father did have brain damage, but he could still take care of himself. That is far from the reason I was missing school. The school called me to the office and a case worker talked with me about the report. I told them that it was a lie, but that whole thing could've gotten me taken out of my own home. The person who made the report, KNEW that it was untrue when they made it! That could've caused SERIOUS damage to me and to my family. How unfair is that?
Well, lets go on to talk about assumptions. You should never make a report on someone off of your own assumptions. If you can't prove it, then don't accuse people of it! This is where I usually err, I'm famous for making assumptions.. I'm a little on the paranoid side. My grandma told me when I was younger, "Don't make an ___ out of yourself by assuming." I'll assume that most of you reading this know how to complete that sentence. I have assumed things many of times, and when I'm wrong which is many of times, I feel like such a jerk! We should never judge our fellow man, we should never assume anything about them, and we should never make false reports. Honesty is the best policy! With honesty things get done that need to get done. With lies people end up hurt.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Forgive us of all our sins as we forgive all those who've sinned against us. Help us to always tell the truth in every area of our lives. Don't let us make false reports, and don't let us assume anything or judge our fellow man. In Jesus name. A-men!
God bless