Because God is truth, Christians have no other choice but to live honest lives.

Some people question how choosing God and truth can result in a better life than living without Him. They believe that following Him through Jesus limits their fun because God has standards and is a killjoy who desires to control them. There is little, however, that we do control. But, deciding whom to follow is one.

Christians have an easier life than those living outside God’s will because they follow God and His laws. Because the ninth commandment calls them to honesty, they tell the truth. When people refrain from telling lies, they have less to remember, less to cause trouble and friction, and hence less stress. Christians do find themselves at odds with unbelievers, because loving God and living under His laws sets them apart.

How can Christians live in truth if doing so ostracizes them even from their own families?

With God as our guide and the Bible our guidebook, we have everything necessary for living, even with those who disagree with and hate us. The biblical ethic of working hard to care for yourself and your family, while providing a portion for the needy, is sound: it gives meaning and purpose to life as well as provides for those who require help. Following God’s definition of family is an excellent way to love God and love others, although it causes challenges with those who think and choose differently. We agree or disagree on what is normative based on our morals and values. Christians have been the keepers of morality for centuries and have always been challenged by dissenters. Following Jesus offers the best life there is, in addition to offering eternal life with God.

Living in truth does create challenges, especially with family and friends. Challenges must be met with patient endurance as Christians cannot compromise their values. It is the fabric of who they are. God is first on their minds and in their hearts. They realize that in this world they will have trials, but God is with them. Hence, Christians must choose to stay true to God and love their families and neighbors.

Many gadgets—even smartphones and computers—are unessential for life. Popular culture ensures that sports and entertainment icons are revered because they sell what the world tells them that people want. Soon wants become needs. Some find it difficult to distinguish what is real from what is not, because belief systems are propagated by mainstream media and accepted by anyone who desires to be part of the culture. Anything outside the accepted culture is most often deemed false and untrustworthy. However, many people live on a continuum from true/real to false/make-believe.

Truth and reality are often blurred by and for non-Christians because of what they hear, read, and see. Centuries ago, what was written was mostly nonfiction. Today, however, most libraries circulate more fiction than nonfiction because this is what most people want (reddit.com). Nonfiction is less economically viable because fact-driven materials become outdated quickly and books need to be updated with more current information. Truth telling and record keeping, writing’s original purpose, became tall tales and fantasy as gossip whetted people’s appetites for the spicy and the bizarre. Today, the world of happily-ever-after offers escapism for increasingly more people who find little to satisfy them in life. But, more than that, it warps truth and what should encompass their reality. Much of society has spiraled into untruth, a world which many want to escape, even if it means death.

Every word said, heard, and read matters. Everything seen matters. We have gone from what seemed like childhood innocence—Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White—into the darkest night of the soul. What once was the remembering of Jesus’s birth is now a celebration of everything but His birth—trees, decorations, parties, charitable deeds, family. And, do not say the word Jesus.

The Bible is true, real, and changeless. If it were not for my faith in Jesus, I would fear for the fates of future generations. But I know the end of the story—the end of the Bible—and God is victorious! Everyone who knows God and the Bible sees how too many people are being led along a deadly course. Christians must be concerned when children think the same ungodly thoughts that masses of adults are being swayed into thinking.

When the Bible (God’s Word) and books written about it occupy increasingly less space in bookstores and libraries, Christians must ask why this is so. It would be reasonable to wonder if these sections are small because they are pro-God and pro-truth in a world that prefers make-believe, fantasy, and living your life regardless of eternal consequences.

We cannot be Christians, truly love others, and be dishonest. We cannot promote either mis- or dis-information; this is a contradiction of terms. We admit when we are wrong and leave everything with God. We trust Him to be in control, but we know that He has given us lives of purpose.

Like the Father and the Spirit, Jesus is truth. When people do not live in truth while professing to follow Christ, they are double-minded and lead others astray. Everyone will meet the Truth face to face on judgment day and will be asked to account for their unrepented sins.