The Leaven of Larceny

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“Finally brethren, whatsoever things are… honest.� (Phil 4:8) Although the word translated here as honest literally means “worthy of honor or regard�, most translations just use the word, “honest�. So let’s talk about that for a moment. First, we are urged to think on things that are honest. When we think honest thoughts, we speak honest words. If we speak things or do things that are not honest, they first found a haven in our thoughts. Our words and actions are simply the overflow of our thought life.

I heard a man once say that we all have a little larceny in us. I was at first offended, but then upon honest reflection, I found that there have been plenty of occasions when I dodged the truth or told the truth, but conveyed a lie. The latter being the easiest on the conscience, but a lie nonetheless. Perhaps the best cure for that is to expose it to the light and correct misconceptions when they occur by your hand, whether intentional or not. It seems we either want people to think better of us than they ought or not as bad of us as they should.

Overcoming this is easy. Ask the Holy Spirit (and/or your spouse) to help you see when you give the wrong impression, then simply correct it. A friend of mine, we’ll call Joseph, was in a high level meeting recently and misspoke the number of transactions his company had concluded. As the conversation continued, he realized that he had mistakenly used a slightly higher number and instead of just letting it pass, he apologized to the man for the mistake and gave the corrected number. He didn’t have to embarrass himself like that and no one would have known, but he has adapted a zero tolerance for the leaven of larceny. The business man he was meeting with appreciated the correction, thanked him for setting the record straight and knew he had met an honest man he could do business with.