Cutting Corners

Friday, July 19, 2013

by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD."

Proverbs 20:10

There are always people looking to take advantage of others and make money dishonestly. Many times we hear their stories and think, “If they just worked that hard at something honest, they would have true benefit for their labor!” But there is a far more important reason to be honest—the fear of angering God through our dishonesty. Simply put, God hates it when we cut corners and cheat people in an effort to get rich.

Back in 1993, four executives from a Florida rental car company were convicted and jailed for defrauding their customers. Using what con artists have long referred to as a “salami technique” (you slice off tiny pieces in hopes that no one will notice and that those little pieces will build up to a large amount of money over time), they cheated at least 47,000 customers over a four year period. They had modified the computer billing software to overstate the size of the gas tanks on the cars. Then whenever a customer returned the car without filling it up, the gas charge would be increased to cover those “extra” gallons of gas purchased. It took a long time to uncover the scam because most of the customers were only charged small amount—sometimes as little as $2.00—and very few people noticed.

God demands that we be honest and aboveboard in all of our dealings. With His blessing and favor, what we are able to acquire through honest effort will be enough. Whether we are selling a product or selling our time to an employer, we need to be diligent to ensure we are giving full value for what we receive. Even if you are convinced that no one will ever discover your scheme, God will know. It is far better to live with transparency and honesty.

Today's Growth Principle
Take great care to be honest with everyone in your life and never cut corners to gain an advantage.

Old Testament Reading

Psalm 26-28

PSALM 26

A Psalm of David.

¹ Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. ² Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. ³ For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. ⁴ I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. ⁵ I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

⁶ I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: ⁷ That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. ⁸ LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. ⁹ Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: ¹⁰ In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. ¹¹ But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. ¹² My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.

PSALM 27

A Psalm of David.

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? ² When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. ³ Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. ⁴ One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. ⁵ For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. ⁶ And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. ⁸ When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. ⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. ¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. ¹¹ Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. ¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. ¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

PSALM 28

A Psalm of David.

¹ Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. ² Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. ³ Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. ⁴ Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert. ⁵ Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

⁶ Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. ⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. ⁸ The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. ⁹ Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

New Testament Reading

Acts 22

CHAPTER 22

¹ Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. ² (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

³ I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. ⁴ And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. ⁵ As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. ⁶ And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. ⁷ And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? ⁸ And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. ⁹ And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. ¹⁰ And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. ¹¹ And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. ¹² And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, ¹³ Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. ¹⁴ And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. ¹⁵ For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. ¹⁷ And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; ¹⁸ And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. ¹⁹ And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: ²⁰ And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. ²¹ And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

²² And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. ²³ And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, ²⁴ The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. ²⁵ And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? ²⁶ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. ²⁷ Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. ²⁸ And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. ²⁹ Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. ³⁰ On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Proverbs Reading

Proverbs 20

¹ Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. ² The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. ³ It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. ⁴ The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. ⁵ Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. ⁶ Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? ⁷ The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. ⁸ A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes. ⁹ Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? ¹⁰ Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD. ¹¹ Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. ¹² The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. ¹³ Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. ¹⁴ It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. ¹⁵ There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. ¹⁶ Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. ¹⁷ Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. ¹⁸ Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. ¹⁹ He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. ²⁰ Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. ²¹ An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. ²² Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. ²³ Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good. ²⁴ Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? ²⁵ It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry. ²⁶ A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them. ²⁷ The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. ²⁸ Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy. ²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head. ³⁰ The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.