Honesty is a virtue that few people seem to possess today. What would you do if you found a money bag full of cash, with no identification inside? Turn it in to the police, or keep it until someone calls for it? What if a cashier gave you $10 too much in making change? We know what we would do if the change was short, even one dollar. Would you reason that it would not be honest to keep the money, or would you justify keeping it? Scripture exhorts us to “be honest in the sight of all men.” (Rom. 12:17) We are to think on “whatsoever things are honest” (or honorable) (Phil. 4:8), and “do what is honest.” (II Cor. 13:7) Such admonitions cannot be ignored if we want to be faithful servants of Christ.
Leaders in the church must be recognized as honest people. Because of the excessive growth of the Jerusalem church, an important work was being neglected. The apostles told the church to select seven men of “honest report” that could be appointed to carry out the important work of caring for the benevolent needs of the church. (Acts 6: 1-3) One qualified to be an elder (bishop) in the local church must be blameless… not greedy for money… and have a good testimony among those who are out side… (I Tim. 3:2,3,7) It is quite easy to see that dishonesty would keep a man from serving in such a leadership role.
When Abraham Lincoln was in the grocery business in his early life, he once discovered that he had charged a customer six cents too much. That night he walked three miles to return the six cents. Evidently, there were many such incidents in his life that won for him the affectionate title, “Honest Abe.” Of course, he became one of our great Presidents. Had he been known as a dishonest person, he never would have been elected.
Men of honesty and integrity need to be in high places. They were needed in Paul’s day, in Lincoln’s day, and they are needed in our day in business, in government, and in all realms of society, but, most of all, they are needed in the church. The congregation with an honest leadership, and an honest membership, truly is blessed. The community will be blessed by their influence. When your name is mentioned in someone’s conversation, do those who hear it think of you as an honest person?
Not only must we be honest with our fellowman, but we also are under obligation to be honest with our God. When we consider all His material, physical and spiritual blessings, it is in keeping with our honesty that we return a liberal portion to Him from whom all blessings flow in order to further His cause. When we take all His material blessings, but fail to give back; when we take His physical blessings, but refuse to work in His vineyard; when we take His spiritual blessings, but ignore the lost about us, how can we consider ourselves as being honest? Truly, honesty is the best policy, for now and forever.
-Richard
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