The Temptation to Cheat

Proverbs 11:1 The LORD hates false scales, but he loves accurate weights.

Of all the temptations that the devil dangles under our noses, the temptation to cheat is one of the greatest. Because for the sake of an apparently tiny lie, he promises such great rewards.

Let me ask you, have you ever been cheated by someone? Deceived, duped in a way that causes them to gain something from you unfairly, resulting in a loss to you? It’s not a nice feeling, is it? You feel swindled, ripped off. We’ve all been on the receiving end of that sort of thing.

But now, let’s put the shoe on the other foot. Have you ever been tempted to tell a few small lies on your tax return perhaps? To leave off some of your income, to overstate some of your deductible expenses? Hmm? Come on, a few small lies here and there, really, they’re not going to hurt anyone, are they? No one will notice …

Well, here’s a wakeup call just in case you need it today.

Proverbs 11:1 The LORD hates false scales, but he loves accurate weights.

Literally, back in the original Hebrew language in which that was written, it says that a false balance is an abomination to the Lord. That’s pretty strong language, wouldn’t you agree?

See here’s the thing. Even though the devil will whisper into our ears, “No one will see, no one will know, no one will care, it’s such a small, teeny-weeny little lie. Come on, what’s the harm?” God sees. God knows. God cares. And in this case, that “teeny-weeny little lie” as the devil puts it, is an abomination to the Lord.

God hates it when we cheat, but He absolutely delights in our decency, our honesty, our preparedness to resist temptation and to forego a dishonest gain.

So don’t kid yourself. It’s anything but a teeny-weeny little lie.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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• God’s Sovereignty
• Judgement
• Living in Victory
• Missional Living
• The Devil
• The Word of God