Thought for the day

We are already into the 5th month of 2012. How time flies........

A friend said to me recently " Don't let anything come between you and your values". I was somewhat surprised because I had encouraged my friend - a lady - to "fess up" if she "messed up" on the job. It got me thinking about the messages I've heard so far in these 4 months and many seem to have been surrounded on the mind and renewing the mind.

Lets talk a little about honesty:
I was wondering why people find it so difficult to be honest - to be genuine, without pretense? Why do people find it so hard to give correct information or facts and why is it so hard for people to actually listen and believe the truth? I've been told that its because we 'don't need each other' anymore. Once you've outdone your 'usefulness' like a nut or bolt, you get discarded by any means possible. The thing is......we DO need each other. I've also been told that its because we want to be loved by man.
It seems like lying, deception, half truths has become the norm as like many other things while speaking the truth is 'rare'. If an individual does speak the truth, you'll get people who try and 'decifer' the meaning, read between the lines so to speak and deliberately look for a lie and/or deliberately do come up with a lie. People seem to have become so 'good' at lying, it almost seems "right", so "plausible". They'll rope others in - in their quest to satisfy their need to be 'right' - to win - an ego boost. The sad part is that the people they rope in will tell them exactly what they want to hear - not because it's the truth - but as a means to an end. I've heard of how some people "prophesy" negatively about someone behind their back and it's 'considered' to be truth. Again, it's a means to an end.
Some say it's because of our culture, the society we live in today etc, etc. I've also heard it said that "good people finish last" or "nice people finish last" - they don't get anywhere in life???!!! It's all about how convincing we can be. A lie is a lie and it doesn't matter how convincing one is......it doesn't make it the truth.
As Christians, we live in this world but we are not of it....... we ought to be different. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. His word is a sure thing and He is Truth John 14:6. The words "I tell you the truth....." is mentioned about 80 times in the New Testament alone and there are MANY scriptures that speak about true, truth, truthfulness.
Zechariah 8:16 "These are the things you ought to do: speak the truth to each other,..."   ........ that is one of my life's values.