One of the traits that made Harry S. Truman a great president was his honesty. In fact, honesty was more important to him than the presidency.
During the presidential campaign against Thomas Dewey, his staff notified him that his campaign funds were running low. When one of his supporters was given this information, he approached Truman and said, “I’ll give you what you need if, when you become president, you will use your office to get policies in effect that will benefit me.”
“Give your money or keep it,” said Truman, “but I’m not making any deals.”
His response electrified his staff and they began to work harder than ever. As a result, the money coming into his election committee increased dramatically and Truman went on to win the election.
We read in Proverbs that, “The Lord hates cheating, but he delights in honesty.” That is about as straight forward as it gets. And there is no way to get around it.
Honesty is very easy to measure: We are either honest or we are not. We either tell the truth or we lie. There are no “degrees” in honesty. We can’t be 99% honest or 1% honest or somewhere in between. It’s 100% or nothing.
Honesty is basic to a Christian’s integrity.
Prayer: It is so easy, Lord, to compromise the truth when we want to fulfill some worldly desire. Cleanse us from deceit and fill our minds and mouths with truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Proverbs 11:1 The LORD detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.
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