November 30

Psalm 120 Clint was a lot bigger than me. He was the biggest guy in our 5th grade class. Normally he was of great humor and fun to be around, usually pretty nice. One day during recess, he came to me saying, “John, I have a surprise for you that I want to show you, but you have to close your eyes and follow me.” “How can I close my eyes and follow you at the same time?” I responded. “Oh, just put your hands your head, and I will put my hand on your hands and guide you.” He was bigger than me and kind of insistent, so I complied. We walked out of sight of any teachers. He said, “Keep your eyes closed. Here is the surprise.” The next thing I felt was his fist striking me in the stomach. “Stay away from Genevie!” he commanded as he stomped off. I lay on the ground sucking for air as I wondered what that was all about. Apparently, he thought I had been flirting with her. Well, I enjoyed teasing girls in the fifth grade, but I had never considered it flirting. Some of the others in our class had told him that I was flirting with her. In fifth grade I still didn’t get the boy/girlfriend thing, so I was glad to oblige. I stayed away from Genevie. Later Clint came to me and apologized. He said that some others had told him that I was flirting with Genevie, and now he realized that they were lying. Nevertheless, I continued to stay away from Genevie, and I did not trust Clint again after that. Lying tongues, it’s the stuff soap operas are made of. The fact that the soaps make money off of it is an indicator that it is a common problem in the human race. It is what makes espionage difficult. It often fuels war. Hey, if Clint had just come and talked to me before hitting me, I would have stayed away. He was a lot bigger than me, and I really wasn’t interested in Genevie. But what if I had been interested, and what if I had been closer to his size? There might have been war between us. Lies are what fuel wars between countries. Lies are what elect politicians. During this current election time, how do we sort out lies from the truth? It is a difficult proposition. Lying lips in life often cause distress. Satan is the father of lies, and he tells them smoothly and often enough to keep us in distress. In our distress there is ultimately only one thing we can do. It is to call out to the Lord for deliverance. Only the author of truth can sort out the lies from the truth. That is why we must daily call out to Him. He is the only true beacon that can guide us through the fog of lies. But what if He cannot hear us? The infinite God can hear us, and if we are willing to do His will, He delivers us through the circumstance of the lying tongues. Now that is glory! Let us seek Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john