Dishonest Gain
Ezekiel 22:13
“Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at they dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.”
Being honest to your own hurt is a testament of one’s character. You show me to what degree a person will be honest and I will show you how much character they have. It used to be in years gone by that a person’s word could be depended upon, but we now live in a day when people will do whatever they have to do to get ahead.
One of the things which God detests is when a person gains through dishonesty. In the verse above, God became so upset with how Israel was dishonest with their gain that He pronounced judgment against them. God expects everyone to be honest in how they try to gain. He doesn’t want you to be willing to hurt others for your own gain. God’s not against you gaining, He just wants you to be honest with your gain. Let me give you some areas where you need to watch that you are not dishonest in your gain.
First, don’t be dishonest for the sake of promotion. There are some who have hurt others so they can move up the ladder in their workplace. You may acquire position through dishonesty, but you will have to work with those whom you hurt along the way. There is no position that is worth having where you have to hurt others to get it.
Second, don’t be dishonest for the sake of more money. If you are selling a vehicle, be sure to be honest with the person to whom you are selling the vehicle. If there is something wrong with the vehicle, then tell them. Holding back information from the person to whom you are selling just to have a few more dollars is not worth it. Likewise, you must be careful that you don’t try to cheat someone out of money just so that you can keep it. If you are at the store and they give you too much money, then be sure to give the clerk the extra money they gave you by mistake. God will bless you for your honesty.
Third, don’t be dishonest for the sake of status. Preachers must be careful about giving inflated numbers for the sake of being recognized by their peers. The best practice a preacher could follow is to give the exact amount of people they have on church property instead of counting every ministry they have on Saturday and Sunday off property. Getting preaching engagements through promoting false numbers from your church attendance will only hurt you in the long run.
Likewise, in the business world be careful that you don’t inflate your numbers just so you can get more customers. You can give false numbers to prospective customers, but you will have to live up to those numbers once they choose to do business with you.
Simply put, gain through dishonesty is only temporary. If you want your gain to be permanent, then be honest in how you acquire it. Always remember that you have to live with yourself, and how you get your gain will determine your peace of mind. I challenge you to be honest in all your dealings. Whenever you walk away from a deal, you should walk away with the assurance that you handled it in a manner that is pleasing to God.