Sneaky! This is one of those traits that you
love to hate. You love it when someone else gets the brunt of the joke, but
when you get the bucket of water on your head, it becomes a different story.
These subtle deceptions, lies that seem harmless, are the high end of a
category of actions condemned by God. We are supposed to be exuding life.
We are living in an age when deception makes
some filthy rich, and leaves the rest of us just getting by. I think of a
former Vice President who touts a “Green” agenda because of his “concern” for
the warming of the earth, and yet flies around in a private jet. His life
betrays his real beliefs. He becomes filthy rich when he sells his largest
asset to the very people who profit from destroying his “Green” agenda. He is “Green”,
alright (wink, wink).
Or the members of Congress who voted to
change the law to encourage sub-prime mortgages now pointing fingers at the
banking industry for getting us into a mess. “It’s their fault.” (Wink, wink)
We will fix it this time. (Wink, wink) All the while there are backroom deals
that create millionaires who represent us. (Wink, wink)
How about the dad who says, “I’ll be at your
ball game,” and then doesn’t show up. Or the mom who is “meeting with the girls”
to carry on an affair. Or the child who says, “I clean up my room” and then
does nothing.
When we set ourselves on the path of deceit
we are set up for failure. Our speech will betray us over time. People can’t
help but tell their story. Just give them time and they will tip their hand.
They will show you what is on the inside.
For the righteous, life is about sharing the
life we have in Christ. Life flows from someone who obeys the LORD. They become
a fountain. When we were traveling in Italy we were drawn, like so many before
us, to the many fountains that flow. There is just something refreshing about
sitting beside a fountain, listening to the splashing water and feeling the
gentle mist touching your skin. And on a hot day it is like air conditioning.
So it is with someone who lives a life of
obedience. When people are around us, the sense the Life we participate in living.
They can be refreshed just by being in our presence.
Are we a chattering fool or a refreshing
fountain?