Deceit

Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. ~ Psalm 120:2 (NLT)

The world is full of deception. It’s a sad reality. For example, on Tuesday I filled up my car’s gas tank in Salem while travelling back home from Portland. An employee of the gas station approached my car to ask what type of gas I’d like. (For those who don’t live in Oregon, it is required that the gas station attendant pump your gas for you by law.) He was very courteous and had a nice smile. I told him to fill it up with regular grade gas and handed him my credit card for payment. He swiped it and pleasantly handed it back to me. After the car was filled up, he wished me a good afternoon and I took off. I was actually smiling at how nice the guy was. He helped perk up my otherwise tedious drive home. That is until yesterday, when I got notified by my credit card company that he had stolen my credit card information and had gone on a bit of a spending spree with it! His smile was a lie. His niceness was to lull me into a false sense of security so I wouldn’t be suspicious of his actual intent. The only saving grace to all of this is that federal law states that I’m not liable for those charges, so it won’t cost me anything more than an inconvenience as I replace the card and change out the card number on the accounts that are tied to it.

Unfortunately, deception isn’t just limited to petty theft. Deception happens on many different levels. People pretend to be your friend, only to humiliate you in horrible ways. Someone tells you they love you, but abuses you verbally, physically, spiritually, or in other unspeakable ways. Others make promises, knowing full well they never intend to keep them. And it all happens far too often. There is no one on this planet who has been exempt from being deceived. So, I think we can all relate to the psalmist in our verse today when he wrote, “Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people.”

As a Christian, I know that this rescue won’t happen while this planet still exists in its present form. People are sinful and will continue to behave in sinful ways until Jesus returns to set things right. So, what can be done in the here and now? Rise above it. While others may practice deceit, refuse to do the same. Be truthful and honest. Be kind, respectful, and nice. Keep your promises and seek to honor others. In short, live a life as Christ did. He is our model.