PROVERBS 20: LIVING TRUTHFULLY

In Bible times, people shopped at marketplaces. When they purchased items such as grain, sellers measured it using scales and balances. They could falsify the readings and cheat their customers by using false weights. God says that He detests that kind of behavior. Jesus is the Truth, and Satan is the deceiver, so we can quickly see why truth is so important.

Being dishonest has become so commonplace in our society these days that if we are not careful, we can compromise to the point that eventually we don’t even know we’re doing it. God calls us to a high standard. Jesus says, For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required... (Luke 12:48 NKJV).

There are times when we want God to do a lot for us, but we are not willing to sacrifice what He may ask us to sacrifice. We are in the world, but we are not supposed to behave as the world behaves (John 17:13-16). Here’s a personal example that shows what I’m talking about.

I reached into my purse the other day to pay for something at a store and found a kitchen fork. It was not a fork from my house, so that meant I had somehow put or dropped it into my purse at a restaurant where I had eaten several days earlier. Dave asked me if I would return the fork, and at first I said no, because taking it back would require me to make a special trip to the restaurant, it would be embarrassing, and they had plenty of forks anyway. Then Dave reminded me that I teach people that if they are given too much change at a store, they should return the extra money. I knew then that I had to return the fork. I still don’t know how it got into my purse, but I sure am taking a lot of teasing from family and friends about lifting the silverware!