What is desirable in a man is his kindness,
and it is better to be a poor man than a liar.

Proverbs 19:22

Boy, Oh Boy! Do we ever need to heed this Proverb! Not only in the world at large, but also within God’s church! How many church splits and scandals could be avoided just by remembering to not lie and instead to be kind!

I admit I need to work on this! I use to lie…a lot! As a teen and twenty-something, this sin gripped me so hard that I just found it a challenge to see if I could lie my way out of…well…anything; even if there was no reason for me to lie. And I was good at it, which is nothing at all to brag about. I was basically a “lie-aholic”. I thank God that He has redeemed this awful sin out of my life and now I am a terrible liar! PTL! However, like most sins that are entrenched within us, we must, with the Holy Spirit’s help, guard against them constantly.

The prophet, Hosea, gives a clear picture of what needs to happen to combat the sin of lying. 

Hosea 10:12

Sow with a view of righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness: break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He come to rain righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness, you reaped injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors…

Hosea 12:6

Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually.

When was the last time you heard any speech or read a social media meme honoring the kindness of anyone about anything? We praise people for their beauty, for their athletic prowess, for their corporate know-now, for their political power, for their financial success, etc… Rarely is someone publicly or privately celebrated for their genuine kindness. Yet, kindness is part of God’s fruit bowl of living for Him

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit if love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Just the opposite of Truth and righteousness going hand in hand: kindness and lying DO NOT go together at all or for any reason! Even lying ‘in order to be kind’ is an oxymoron and has no place in a Christ-followers life. There is always a way to tell truth in kindness. But it takes great wisdom and thoughtfulness to do so. Thinking before we speak is very helpful in living out this principle.

James 1:19

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger, [or to lies] for the anger [lies] of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. [Mine]