Being honest is something that we often take for-granted. I remember my dad telling me as a kid, the worst person in this world is a child molester and the second is a thief. There is a lot of truth to that statement. Most people feel the same way about someone abusing a child. When it comes to being a thief, opinions start to change. What constitutes as a thief? My definition would be knowingly taking something from someone else that does not belong to you. Have you ever considered yourself a thief before?
The other day we were working on a project at work. We ordered material for our job and found out that our supplier did not charge us for one of the pallets. The product that we got was very expensive. Several of the people working on the project said to keep the product; the supplier will never know. They also said that since the supplier makes so much money that they wouldn't miss the product. In my mind, keeping the product was stealing. We ordered the product, and the supplier messed up on properly invoicing the product. If we chose to keep the product, no one would have ever known except me. Things like this lay on my mind and I try to be as honest as possible.
I told the workers to let the supplier know about the mistake so that we could get billed correctly. I got a few glares, but the workers followed through with my request. The example that I showed that day was one of honesty. Just because someone made a mistake, doesn't mean that we should take advantage of the situation. When we are not honest in cases like this, we become thieves. The last thing that I want to be known for is a thief. Remember my dad's standards?
When you are honest, it pays off in God's eyes.
After we told the supplier of the mistake, we didn't get as much as a thank you. The person taking the orders could have cared less about the error. This transaction was a matter of principal. Not only a principal but a test by God. Even though no one knew what was going on, God did. He saw everything that happened in this scenario. The last thing that I want to do is let God down and disappoint him. We do end up disappointing him quite a bit in our lives. When the opportunity presents itself to do right knowingly, I try to take full advantage of the situation to show God my character.
Having the holy spirit inside of you does something. When we are knowingly not being honest, it weighs on our heart. Something eats at us inside. It is not worth the short term benefit for the long-term guilty conscience. When I give an account of my life someday, I don't want to have to explain why I was not honest in certain situations. As I strive to please and honor God, I hope you will do the same.
2 Corinthians 8:21 NASB for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.