Have you ever been around someone who lies continually? It's incredibly draining, isn't it? Maybe you ignore it for awhile, not wanting to confront anyone, embarass them, or make a scene, but you'll eventually reach a place where you have to say something. You inevitably reach a point where just can't take it anymore.
If at the height of your frustration, when you finally speak up, the individual lies once again to cover the fact that they were lying, where do you go from there? Where can you go from there?
If you were to count every word that came from a man's mouth, and just one of every 1,000 was a lie, would that still not be enough to make you distrust much of what he might say from that day forward?
The damage done from one lie can destroy the reputation of a person amongst his family, friends, church, or community for years to come, and destroy any sense of a good reputation he may have spent a lifetime trying to build.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote:
"He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions."
THOMAS JEFFERSON, leter to Peter Carr, Aug. 19, 1785
The book of Titus is a letter written by Paul after he had left Titus to continue building the church in Crete. If you're familiar with the term "Cretens," the origin of that term comes from this very island.
The people of Crete had built for themselves a very unsavory reputation. In his letter to Titus regarding these people, Paul states:
"One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith." Titus 1:12-13
When you think about someone in your life who has done a great deal of harm to you, their loved ones, and even to themselves through dishonesty, and when you think back upon the intense frustration and heartache you have felt in dealing with them, try to imagine being on an island full of people like that.......an entire race of people who were well known for that type of behavior.......On an island..........and you're sent there to build a church.......If you're anything like me, you'd be looking for the first ship out of there.
And yet, God chose to plant His church in the midst of these people. Furthermore, He chose Paul and Titus to instruct and teach them. Why would He do this? Why would God send His best and brightest to an island full of lying, lazy gluttons?
It's very easy to feel a sense of anger or righteous indignation toward these people. But in God's eyes, they are just as valuable as any of us. In fact, the answer to why God would send his best and brightest to this island and to this people can be found in Titus 3:3-7
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
In this same letter, Paul encourages Titus to live amongst these people in such a way as to not allow anyone to speak evil of him. He admonishes him to do good continually, not in a way that makes him a footstool or a whipping boy to them, but in such a way that once they see his is a man of strong moral character, they might be transformed by the example he leaves behind.
Our world today isn't much different, is it? We look around and see continual lying in every direction. From our nations leaders, to our mainstream media, to our schools, and everwhere in between.
So, what are we to do? We are to live in their midst, carrying out our lives in such a way that they may be drawn to the truth, and that the truth they see in us would shine such an intense light upon the darkness of the dishonest world we live in, it would be impossible to ignore.
Will we be perfect in this? By no means. Can we take back the lies we've spoken in the past? No. But here's what we can do: We can begin to speak the truth today, and resolve to do the same tomorrow. And in doing so, we can begin to rebuild our relationships, our churches, our communities, and our world.
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