Daily Encouragement: Tipping the Scale

"Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, width, or volume. Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring dry goods or liquids must be accurate. I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. You must be careful to obey all of my laws and regulations, for I am the Lord." (Leviticus 19:35-37)

We come today to the end of Leviticus 19, and I pray you have learned or have been reminded of many principles for living a life that glorifies God and also benefits you. Today's verses speak about your business dealings, but also to honesty in all areas where you are required to measure something (currency included).

First, let's address the business aspect we see here. God says not to use "dishonest standards," meaning, don't try to deceive your clients or vendors by using a different scale that what you both agree upon. He says they "must be accurate," meaning, it's not okay for you to say, "I didn't know the scale or the measurements weren't right." He says, "be careful," meaning, these are areas where thought and care must be put forth.

God is not excluded from your place of business--He's all over it! Even if you know or suspect someone has been cheating you in business, you do not have cause to do the same to that person or company. Consider the IRS. I believe this passage is directly applicable to the way we report our income to the United States government and our state governments. You should NOT pay what you do not owe, according to tax law, but you are required to accurately report what you DO owe and pay it accordingly. So, go on, find all the deductions you can and take them as long as you are honest and have the right to take them!

Secondly, when dealing with friends, neighbors and God, don't try to cheat or deceive anyone in a trade or in your giving. God is not fooled when you say you're giving a tithe (or a tenth) from your income, for example, and you really only give two percent. Look at the example of Ananias and Sapphira from Acts chapter five. They attempted to deceive the apostles and the Holy Spirit by lying about the amount of their giving and at the end of verse ten we find them both instantly falling to the floor, dead. Of course, this kind of thing doesn't happen all the time. This is to be used as an example to us to learn how serious God is about deception and trusting Him to take care of you when you are honest.

Today, I encourage you to consider your level of integrity in your business dealings as well as your personal and spiritual integrity. Does it line up with God's standards? What can you do to change so that it does? The Lord will surely equip you to do so; He longs to draw you closer to Himself and mold you to His likeness.

by Wendie Beddingfield

picture by michaelaw