Lately, I have been studying the word ministry. It is a term that is applied to an area of service that the Christian considers his or her strength. Those who are talented musicians may minister to God and the saints through hymns and spiritual songs. Others minister through preaching and teaching, and still others through charity, encouragement, visiting, and counseling. While every Christian is good at something, and should develop that skill in the service of the Kingdom, I also realized that there are some things in which every Christian should underachieve!

Christians Should Be Truly Poor Liars

Many people in our culture are not in to truth. It is inconvenient and unpopular. It is as if coming clean is the truly disastrous, foolish thing to do when the truth may hurt our careers or public image. Yet as we read the Bible, it becomes very clear that God is set against lying:

  • “You shall not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16);
  • “There are six things the Lord hates…” and one of the is “a lying tongue” (Proverbs 6:16-17);
  • “And all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8).

What makes lying so repugnant to God is that He stands for the polar opposite. He is a God rooted in absolute truth. His prescribed religion is one that has its basis in irrevocable certainty. We must be truthful, not just with God, but with each other. “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say?…May it never be! For otherwise how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner? And why not say… ‘Let us do evil that good may come’? Their condemnation is just” (Romans 3:5-8). There are a number of other passages in which someone lies, even a hero, and discovers the hidden cost to deception:

Christians Should Fail At Romanticizing Sin

When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the Bible never portrays the relationship as “star-crossed” or noble. Rather, David is viewed by the prophet as being incredibly heartless and selfish (2 Samuel 12:1-4). After all, it is very hard to romanticize sin when you realize that there are always consequences to it:

  • Sin always hurts somebody, even those who are innocent bystanders;
  • Resisting a forbidden relationship does not result in long-term misery, but indulging always does. David’s life was never the same after his experience with another man’s wife;
  • The very fact that sin is called “trespassing” infers that we do not have a right to move into sinful activity. We are not being denied our “rights” unfairly because God commands us to abstain. When it comes to sin, we have no rights (1 John 3:4, 2 Peter 2:8).

Christians Should Be Terrible At Boasting In Themselves

“When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). Friends, humility is our safeguard against the troubles of pride. We must learn it at a young age and utilize it throughout our lives as a prevention for dishonor, shame, arrogance, and conceit.

The biggest problem with boasting in ourselves is that we end up losing touch with reality. “For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding” (2 Corinthians 10:12). If I am my own standard, I lose touch with the reality of sin, righteousness, and the consequences of both. It is far more difficult to be over-confident once we have owned up to the ugliness of our own sins. Our “better judgment” and “feelings” did not lead us in the right direction. Our instincts were not always right, and the opinions of others that we followed, even the opinions of famous authors or personalities often turned out to be dead wrong as well. In addition, dealing honestly with our sins has likewise delivered us from ignorance and has brought us a wealth of knowledge.