Well, to make the sale I……..

Proverbs 11:1-3  Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight. 2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

I own a heating and air company and in the past 10 years the value of the metals in the equipment has also pulled me into the scrap business. Scrapyards can tend to be a shady business of sorts now, for the value of these metals have brought about theft. But something early on I realized what the integrity of the owner and his scales meant they could be thieves also; stealing with tampered weights of the metals being brought in. The scales of any merchant even in biblical times were a mark of integrity of that person; a mark of trust. The only one who may truly know that mark is the only one who sees all; for you cannot fool God.

That integrity in business is what the Lord speaks of here. That integrity is many times lost in an struggling economy; where corner cuts and shady deals are the norm for profitable business. Today where everyone is struggling; integrity seems to be a lost treasure. Do you seem to loose what you hold as values if that is what it takes to make a deal? Integrity is not a quality that you posses partially; you either have it or you don’t.  Integrity is a measuring tool of the Lord, and many times He will let the lack of it be revealed. 3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

God takes our daily lives in the business world very seriously. This is where He has placed us every day for us to influence those around us. How does He feel when that circle of influence see the Christian acting worse that the atheist? God calls that dishonesty an “abomination” to Him; a gut wrenching hatred as my study Bible says. When you profess Christ to those around you, you are put under a microscope to be viewed how you handle every situation. The next time you are tempted to lie to make the deal; know that you are turning God’s stomach doing so. Integrity in business is not a lost trait these days; you either have it or you don’t. Integrity is not for your personal life only. Proverbs 28:6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.