Psalm 119:140
“Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.”
The purity of one’s word is very important to God. God described the purity of His Word by saying, “Thy word is very pure…” God thought so much about His Word that He spent 176 verses talking about It’s purity. God completely understood that your word dictates your trustworthiness, and if there is any hint of falsehood in your word then you cannot be trusted.
The purity of God’s Word is critical because salvation depends upon it. If one word of the Scriptures is not true, then that puts in question every other word, including the words of salvation. This is why it’s critical for us to have an every word Bible. God understood the importance of one’s word being pure so when it came to preserving His Word, He chose to be responsible for it. He didn’t leave the preservation of His pure Word up to man because man may think that changing or deleting one word is not a big deal, but to God every word in the Scriptures is a big deal. This is why when describing the purity of His Word He said it is “very pure.”
If God thought it was important that His Word be “very pure,” then every Christian should think the same about their words. We live in days when a person’s word is not as trustworthy as it should be. Embellishing stories to make them more exciting has become acceptable. Misguiding the truth for the sake of defending one’s name seems to be the norm. Telling “small” lies to keep from being inconvenienced is a normal practice by many. Sadly, the purity of one’s word is not as important to the Christian as it is to God.
Christian, your word is your testimony. Any hint of dishonesty in what you say is a mark against your integrity. If what you say cannot be trusted as absolute truth, then how do you expect people to believe you when you are telling them about salvation? How do you expect people to believe you when telling them how to live the Christian life if they know you tend to “stretch the truth?” The purity of what you say truly impacts your ability to lead or influence people for the cause of Christ.
Friend, your word needs to be as pure as God’s Word. When asked a difficult question that may bring about an embarrassing answer, don’t lie to keep from being embarrassed. Truth must be your answer at all times. You are going to have to face the truth at some point, and facing the truth will only get harder if you misled, hid or lied about the truth. It is better to face the truth head on and get it over with than to be dishonest and have to face the truth and your dishonesty.
Your integrity is on the line with every word you say. Be as careful with what you say as God was with preserving His Word. Don’t ever fall for the trap of misleading, telling a “white lie” or hiding the truth. The truth must always be what comes from your lips. Don’t ever let it be said about you that your word can’t be trusted. Don’t embellish stories, mislead realities or tell a lie just to keep from being embarrassed or inconvenienced. Be a person who tells the truth all the time. When you are known as someone who always tells the truth, then you will be known as a person who can always be trusted. The purity of your word dictates your trustworthiness.