Dishonesty is a Matter of the Heart – (Proverbs 11:1)
Daily Proverbs
Daily Bible Study
In so many ways our walk with the Lord is based on the condition of our hearts. When it comes to our Christianity or the lack thereof always remembers it's a "heart condition." The current state of our heart is a good indication of our current relationship with God. And it's the condition of our heart that directs and leads our walk with the Lord. Our "Christianity" is meant to affect all aspects of our life including business. Therefore, it's also the condition of our heart that is reflected in our integrity, or to put it another way. Our integrity has a lot to do with where our heart is at, in our relationship with Christ. The verse above talks about dishonest scales; but it also refers to so much more than scales! How we accumulate our wealth matters to God. Business is not just business in God's eyes and our integrity, our godliness and our morality matters to God. How we conduct business is just as important to God, as is all other aspects of our life. And these passages specifically refer to how we behave in all our dealings with others.
In a sense God is asking us, are we always trying to get the upper hand. Are we always making sure we come out on top and get more than the other person? Do we use dishonesty to get want we want? Do we push people around, degrade and take advantage of others? We must remember we're not just talking about lying, but about so much more. Dishonesty can take many forms, including the treatment of others as well as the sin of omission. The sin of omission is leaving out details or facts that might drive the price down or cost us more money if the person we're dealing with new the full story. The sin of omission is failing to act in any way when we know we should or when we fail to act in the best interest of others. It can take other forms as well, such as exaggeration to make ourselves look better. It can be gossip in order to cast someone else in a bad light, revenge or envy, or to get ahead in the workplace. It could be taking the credit for other people's work or ideas. All of these are forms of "dishonest scales," which can and do affect our relationship and walk with God.