Brian Williams, Lies, And Us

Brian Williams has been suspended for six months, without pay, by NBC.  He won't be anchoring the news again until some time in August of this year.  From all indications, he is having to sit out of work for a while because he has lied (at least to some extent) in his reporting.

Lies.

It's not just a Brian Williams problem.  We all have been there.  It's part of our fallen condition.  I've lied before.  And so have you.

What does God's word say about lying?  Here are a few passages for us all to consider.  Let's think on these...

"Do not lie.  Do not deceive one another."  Leviticus 19:11

"The Lord detests lying lips."  Proverbs 12:22

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices."  Colossians 3:9

God tells us to abstain from lies and speak the truth instead.  Because He is honest, and no deception is within Him, He expects the same out of us.  We are to reflect Him in being trustworthy with our words.

There are additional reasons we must stay away from lies.  Lies prohibit progress and improvement.  Lies hurt people.  And lies damage our own credibility.  A lit match can destroy a forest, and a lie can destroy a life. 

Sometimes we are tempted to lie because we think we are protecting someone we care about.  That simply is not the case.  Telling a lie does nobody any favors.  It only makes things worse.

When we tell the truth, problems can be addressed and corrected.  When we tell the truth, people know exactly where they stand.  When we tell the truth, people feel that they can trust us.  And when we tell the truth, God is honored in our lives.

Brian Williams and the rest of us can all do something about any dishonesty which may be in our lives:  Come clean about what has really happened, repent before the Lord, apologize to people, learn the lesson, and determine with God's help to be truthful from now on.

God is willing to forgive Brian, you, and me for our lies.  He can purify us, make us right, and put us on a new path of truthfulness.  Let's embrace that blessing, and live in honesty.

May you and I remember these words of Paul from Ephesians 4:25 - "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body."