“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is His delight” (Proverbs 11:1).

As a believer, honesty and integrity are important matters. In the Bible times, weights were used to determine the value and price of many things. Weights that were truly accurate and honestly used pleased the Lord. Inaccurate weights purposely used to deceive people and bring about an unjust gain were an abomination to the Lord.

The story is told of a dishonest butcher who had only one chicken left for sale. It was in the cooler when Mrs. Brown came to the store wanting to buy a chicken. She asked the butcher if he had a larger chicken for sale in the back. Taking the chicken out of the cooler and waiting a few seconds, he brought the same chicken back, trying to deceive her. “This bird is nearly a pound heavier,” the butcher emphatically said. The story is told that Mrs. Brown looked at the chicken and was not at all convinced that he was telling her the truth. Finally she said, “I think I will buy both chickens!” And of course, the lie was exposed.

We smile at this little story, but, friends, it is very important that you and I as believers live our lives in honesty and integrity. The world evaluates the reality of our faith in the little things we do in being honest and upright in our lives.

For today: I am going to ask the Lord to help me to be careful even in the little areas of my life. I know that honesty really pleases the Lord.