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Men of Integrity, July/August 2005
Out for a Spin
Theme of the Week: Spurn Spin
Monday, August 1
Key Bible Verse: So put away all falsehood and "tell your neighbor the truth" because we belong to each other (Ephesians 4:25). Bonus Reading: Zechariah 8:16-17
When my high-school friend Mike first received his driver's license, his mom allowed him to use her car but forbade him to drive on the freeway. But Mike and I were convinced that we knew better than his mother, and bravely challenged the California freeways. Knowing that his mom might question us about Mike's driving, however, we crafted a brilliant spin on our behavior. Sure enough, after one of our illicit road trips, his mom asked bluntly, "Mike, did you drive on the freeway today?"
Without hesitation and with a hurt tone in his voice, Mike answered. "Mom, I know the rules. Of course I drove on the surface streets." As he spoke, I nodded fervently. (Mike did know the rules and we had driven on the surface streets—on our way to the freeway.) The combination of Mike's earnest testimony and my bobbing head duped Mike's mom. She apologized for questioning his integrity, and Mike avoided losing his driving privileges.
We didn't tell an outright lie, but fabricated a deceptive half-truth. This was spin, pure and simple, because we intended to mislead, while failing to confess the truth that deserved to be spoken.
—Mark Roberts in Dare to Be True
My Response: Have I recently spun the truth for self-protection or self-promotion?
Adapted from Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003) by permission.
Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.
July/August 2005, Vol. 8, No. 4
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Prayer for the Week |
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I realize, Lord, that You desire honesty from the heart. But I kid myself and fudge the truth to impress others. Help me to change.
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