Tell the truth

Do you enjoy game shows? One of my favorite game shows from my childhood was "To Tell the Truth." There was a panel of four celebrities, and they would meet three people who all claimed to have an interesting occupation or experience. The panel had to guess which one of the three was telling the truth. The two impostors could lie, while the central character had to tell the truth. Remember the reveal? After the panel would vote, the host would ask the real person to stand up, and after the impostors would pretend to start standing, the central character stood. The three contestants were awarded money for the guesses.

Sometimes I think we are living in a game show, and we are waiting for the truth to be revealed. As of right now, I hear once trusted sources claim there is no evidence of fraud in our recent election while at the same time hundreds of witnesses have signed affidavits. In any court case, eyewitnesses are considered "evidence." Someone is not telling the truth. It seems Orwellian to me to be censored for questioning the results of an election. As a Christian, I know God is ultimately in control, but societies fall when they abandon moral principles like telling the truth.

We are being told not to celebrate the holidays by many of the same people who have told us not to go to church. Thankfully, there are two promising vaccines coming out, even though we were told the president was lying when he said vaccines would be available soon. We should continue to take precautions. I lost a cousin in his forties several years ago. He died as a result H1N1--the swine flu. The lesson I learned was do not delay going to the doctor when you are sick. Politicians need to follow the guidelines they make for others if they want people to take the pandemic seriously. Honest people do not see themselves as above the rules.

I hope we will not skip Thanksgiving this year -- even if we celebrate in smaller groups. Like many people, I am excited about Christmas and New Year's and hoping to put 2020 behind us. Nonetheless, we need to be thankful for the blessings we have enjoyed. If you have lost a loved one, be thankful you had the time you did with that person. Be thankful, with all its flaws, we live in a wonderful country. Rejoice in the fact you can worship freely without persecution. Let us not take our blessings for granted.

In the book of Psalms, we find many references about giving thanks to the Lord like Psalm 136:1, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good." Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" I am thankful God is in control. He does not lie, and his promises will be fulfilled.

When I think of telling the truth I think of the Scriptures that teach God is the source of truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Many people quote John 8:23, "The truth shall set you free." While we can apply that Scripture in several ways, the idea is when we have a personal relationship with God through Jesus, we can be freed from the bondage of sin. The person who lies habitually can be transformed into a truthful person.

Did you know telling the truth is one of the 10 Commandments? Exodus 20:16 is the ninth commandment, "You shall not bear false witness..." When we lie, we destroy people's lives and reputations. It is important to tell the truth. Life is not a game show. Remember, on Judgment Day, there will be no prizes for impostors.