2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Joshua 7:16-9:2 ESV, Luke 16:1-18 ESV, Psalm 82:1-8 ESV, Proverbs 13:2-3 ESV
Daily Verse: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” (Luke 16:10 ESV)
AKIKOS (94): “Unjust; by extens. Wicked; by impl. Treacherous; spec. heathen: unjust (8x), unrighteous (4x). Means ‘not in conformity with dike (1349-right) and is rendered unjust.”[i]
Build trust.
Trustworthiness, as a character trait, develops over time. Each day, we have an opportunity to build our character with the decisions we make. Small acts of faithfulness prove our trustworthiness, leading to greater responsibility.
On the way home from our honeymoon, my husband and I created our first budget. Since I didn’t marry until my early forties, I hadn’t shared expenses before, always able to spend and do whatever I wanted with my money. But now, I couldn’t because my spending directly affected another person. As a result of our budgeting, we each have a certain amount we can spend without asking permission from the other.
I will never forget when temptation hit me. Grocery shopping, using our shared account to pay, I realized I could steal money from the grocery budget. If I got cashback while paying, Ron would never know. My husband doesn’t check the receipt; he would overlook the extra $20 added to the total.
Choose honesty.
God grew my character as I learned financial accountability to my husband. As tempting as taking the $20 seemed, building trust with my husband meant more to me than the cash. Ten years later, we still budget; rarely do we argue about money. Choosing honesty in small moments builds trust.
And one lie can empty the bank account. Trust takes time to build and moments to tear down. One false tale destroys relationships as it becomes another and another.
Lying never ends. To cover up the first lie, we tell another one, leading to yet another. Like the spider weaves the web, lies become more intricate the longer we spin the tale. But eventually, the truth will come to light; somehow, it always does.
When the temptation to lie overtakes you, remember this, the truth will come out. Save yourself the trouble of covering up lies. Choose honesty, tell the truth. Build trust, don’t tear it down.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 6) Thomas Nelson
