Honesty … At All Times - Martin Wiles

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. Proverbs 12:22 NLT

I had no proof she lied, but the evidence seemed pretty weighty.

My brother and his fiancé were coming for supper. My wife wanted to cook a particular dish she didn’t have all the ingredients for. My normal routine after work is to take a thirty-minute walk. Since we live just behind a major grocery chain, my wife often asks me to stop by and pick up a few things. She did this time.

Looking at the text my wife sent, telling me exactly what to get (I have a habit of getting the wrong thing.), I scanned the aisle for the cans of broth and consume—noting the sale price beneath them. But when the cashier scanned them, they rang up at the regular price. I questioned him. He sent for a supervisor, a young girl who didn’t look overly excited about helping.

She walked four aisles toward the back to check the price. Staying gone longer than it should have taken her, I wondered what she was doing. Could she not find the item? Was she moving a tag someone placed in the wrong spot? Should I have taken a picture? I wished I had.

“Only the soups are on sale, not the broth,” she said after a long absence.

“So, there wasn’t a tag saying $1.79 beneath the broth?” I questioned.

“No,” she said with a sly smile.

“Are you sure,” I questioned again.

“Yes, but I’ll give them to you for that.”

I wanted to walk back to the aisle to make sure I saw the price correctly, but feared I wouldn’t find the original price tag. Next time, I’ll take a picture. Something else my wife has taught me to do.

Solomon makes it quite plain how God feels about lying. He detests it. Whether the young girl lied or not, she’ll have to live with it—and I’ll never know. But I’m not responsible for her, just me.

Even though God implants a new nature in His children, we can still be prone to lie when it suits what we perceive as our best interests, when we want to escape punishment, or when we’re trying to protect others or ourselves. None, however, are valid reasons in God’s sight.

Practicing honesty is a daily challenge—but one God gives us the power to master if we rely on Him.

Make it a point to let honesty be your life policy.

Prayer: Father, help us make honest choices each day.

Tweetable: Is honesty your policy? 

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