Commandment #9...Exodus 20:16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor".

My son just returned from a vacation in Europe where he enjoyed the history and the discovery of cities in France, Spain, and Portugal. Of course vacationing overseas put him out of touch with U.S. news and events. When he returned I asked him if he was glad to be home and he made an interesting comment. He said that the problem coming home is that he is constantly being lied to. He said that here in the United States with all the TV advertising and the 24/7 "news"/ commentary programs, we are bombarded with lies and deceptions Sadly, I have to agree with his observation.

God gave us His Ten Commandments because He wants us to be in relationship with Him and to live in peace with one another. The first four Commandments draw us into a relationship with Him that enable us to keep or return to keeping the other six Commandments. With my son's comment about the lies we experience, Commandment #9 came to mind; “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor".

What is False Testimony? The phrase bearing false testimony is commonly described as lying. However, it is more specifically referred to giving false testimony as a witness. In other words, it is the act of telling a falsehood about something or someone to others in a legal context. In my opinion, it includes telling half-truths (lies), deceiving people to believe untruths, and sharing the deceptions with others even if you were not the original source.

Who is our neighbor? Jesus makes it clear in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37) that everyone we encounter is a neighbor. In this world of Facebook and Twitter, we can spread lies, deceptions, falsehoods through posts, re-posts and re-tweets, and just by being wrong in our opinions and understandings. I honestly have to confess that probably the most truthful thing I can say is "I don't know." God will give us discernment if we seek it, however we are usually so quick to embrace opinions that agree with our thinking, that we don't question the truthfulness.

As Christians, I have to wonder what kind of impact we can have in the world, if we collectively and deliberately refuse to re-post or re-tweet lies, falsehoods, and half-truths and consciously refuse to participate in deceiving others. Satan introduced sin into this world through lies and deception. Let's not join him in his work.

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR HOPE?

Jeremiah 17:7 New King James Version (NKJV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.

I was watching the news the other morning and I heard a young man who was sitting on a panel (I believe it was a college campus setting) say that unless young people have hope for a bright future, they will disrupt the status quo and fight for change. I remember my younger days when I embraced the same tenet and felt empowered to pursue the changes that were self-prescribed or served up by society.  The problem with this pursuit became clear over time and experience as I discovered that I was placing my HOPE in people and systems that were not trustworthy.

The world encourages us to place our HOPE in people, political parties, governments, social programs, and our own abilities.  The reality is that if these are where we place our hope we will always be disappointed because all of these are constantly changing.

When a society places itself between people and God or attempts to completely obscure God, that society is nurturing hopelessness.  Hopeless people become more and more dependent on others or on government and their downward spiral continues.

The good news is that God has set His followers (Christians) apart from society.  In us the hopeless can find a light in the darkness.  1 Peter 3: 15   But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear  God will use us to bring hope to the hopeless, to speak wisdom to the confused and to reveal the trustworthiness of God.  God is steadfast in His love and His plan is good. That is the message the world needs.

The Words in "RED"...delivered to me.

<sup>This week in our Bible study we were reading Acts 26 as Paul was delivering his defense to king Agrippa.  What he was actually doing was giving his testimony regarding his conversion and receiving the salvation offered by Jesus.  In his testimony he shared the words spoken to him by Jesus.  This is Jesus who has been crucified and has risen from the grave with the words of Jesus printed in Red in this Bible translation.

ACTS 26:  15</sup> So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will ^[b]deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I ^[c]now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified^[d] by faith in Me.’ "

These words of Jesus were not spoken in a sermon or in a temple, or to His group of Apostles. They were spoken to Paul individually and privately...for his ears only.  This led to a discussion and discovery in the group that we all have "Words in Red"  in our own lives that are the foundation of our own testimony and faith walk.  I believe that His personal words to us begin, as they did with Paul,  with an invitation to turn from our sin in repentance and to accept His invitation of salvation and redemption by receiving Him as our Savior.  As we walk with Jesus, He will speak to us in that Still Small Voice words of encouragements, conviction, peace, love, direction and promise.  His words are delivered in love and with power specifically for us.  As Christians we need to recognize His voice and receive them into our hearts, highlighting them as "Words In Red", and respond to Him in praise, worship, and in obedience.