The most famous story about lying in American history is the one about George Washington chopping down a cherry tree. When his father asked him who did it, George supposedly said, "I cannot tell a lie; I did it with my little hatchet." That was in a biography written by Parson Weems in the nineteenth century - he made the whole story up. Incredibly, the most famous story about not lying in America, was a lie. And truthfulness is still in short supply. Politicians spin promises, telemarketers scam the elderly, job seekers pad their resumes, repair shops inflate their bills, students steal essays from the internet to pass tests and spouses lie to each other about money and infidelity.
.........Financial expert Larry Burkett estimated that fully 50% of people who claim to be Christians cheat on their income tax returns. The IRS maintains what is informally called a "cheaters account," to which people with guilty consciences can send money they know they owe. There's a story that the IRS received one letter that read, "My conscience is bothering me because of cheating on my taxes, so I'm sending $10,000. If my conscience doesn't clear up, I'll send in the rest of what I owe." We want to follow the rules, but we're prepared to break them if we can get away with it or think that's what it takes to win. Now since everybody seems to do it maybe you think it's no big deal. Wrong! God's Word says: "The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful."
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