The photograph is actually of a flat wall along the creek in our downtown park. The artist who painted this wall used the trumpe l'oeil technique. It means "fool the eye." It is really quite amazing when you see it in person because you really are fooled into believing there is a statue in a niche in the wall. Today's scripture is about telling the truth. I have always known it is not right to tell a lie so I can't remember ever doing it......that is, if you don't count "untruths." What are untruths? There are a myriad of ways to deceive ourselves into thinking we're not lying. These are often called white lies because they're meant to spare someone's feelings (Oh, I love your new haircut!) Then there's the lie by omission. This is where you omit certain facts or fail to correct a misconception. I decided to check the Internet for more types of lies and I was surprised there are eight! Here are some of them: broken promises; exaggeration; plagiarism. But I didn't see the one that I think should be included. It's when I lie to myself. It's when I don't confess my sin because I've told myself I was justified in what I did or didn't do. But there is another kind of lie that is just as important to acknowledge because it's why some people never come to Jesus for salvation. They tell themselves they're OK. They don't "sin" in the ways others do. They may make mistakes, but everybody makes mistakes. They fool themselves into believing they don't need Jesus in order to go to heaven as long as they don't lie, steal, kill, or cheat on their spouse. But I will tell you the truth in Jesus' own words: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
