A 12-year-old boy was a key witness in a lawsuit. One of the lawyers, after intense questioning, asked, "Your father told you what to say, didn't he?"

"Yes," answered the boy.

"Now tell us," pursued the lawyer, "what were his instructions?"

"Well," replied the boy, "Father told me the lawyers would try to tangle me in my testimony; but if I would just be careful and tell the truth, I could say the same thing every time."

A truthful person has nothing to hide, but the person who lies pays an awful price for his dishonesty. One lie leads to another to cover up the previous one, and eventually the liar is caught in his own web of deceit. Proverbs 19:5 says, "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape."

For a follower of Christ, however, the most important consideration is that truthfulness reflects our relationship with the Lord. Lying is the language of the devil (Jn. 8:44), but those who belong to Christ are to be known as people of truth (Eph. 4:15; Col. 3:9).

Lying may seem like a convenient way out, but it's really a dead-end. The right and sensible choice, therefore, is to speak the truth--and nothing but the truth.  — Richard De Haan