Walking with the Wise #466: Truth Benefits

“A man who bears false witness against his neighbor


is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.”
—Proverbs 25:18

Honesty is the best policy. In August 2012, the Daily Mail ran an article about a University of Notre Dame study that scientifically proved that telling the truth was beneficial to your physical and mental health. Two groups were chosen with the first group given instructions to stop lying, while the other group was given no such instruction. The first group reported feeling less tense, less sad, and actually having fewer sore throats and headaches. They also reported generally having fewer mental health complaints and physical health symptoms. This supports what God’s Word has said for millennia—telling the truth is beneficial to your health!

Following Jesus means telling the truth, even when it's painful to do so, which means we do not exaggerate or attempt to deceive. Lying or bearing false witness against our neighbor is an attempt to wound or hurt them severely, as the proverb says, “like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.” Loving our neighbor means seeking their benefit, not to bring them down or bring us up. The Christ-life is one of servitude and dying to self by taking up our cross, of ordering our life to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”—1 Peter 2:9. Our responsibility is to live our life in such a way that our neighbors will see Jesus in us, and come to the saving knowledge of Him.

“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world”—1 Peter 2:12 (NLT).

May God enable us to live, proclaim, and adhere to truth. May we not indulge our fallen flesh to make ourselves look better than we really are; rather, may we endeavor to be servants of the risen Christ, patterning our life after His. May truth reign in our hearts, and may our lives be ordered in such a way that the most foul and sinful neighbor of ours sees Jesus in us, sees their need for a Savior, and may they come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through the truth of who He is, seen in and through us. Amen.