“The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight” – Proverbs 11:1

I thought you’d like to know how I spent my morning. It started out with, “Hi. My name is Jim, and I’m a thief.” In response, everybody at the weekly meeting of “Thieves Anonymous” shouted back, “Hi, Jim!”

So much for remaining anonymous.

I didn’t start out the morning knowing I was a thief, but as soon as I opened my Bible and read this one verse in Proverbs, ONE VERSE, I had to put it down and pray and face that startling truth.

So what, you may be asking, have I been stealing? What are the dishonest scales I’ve been using in order to steal from other people?

The first that comes to mind are the inaccurate weights of my judgments of people based on items that make me feel good. Or, at the very least, feed my ego. For example, when I weigh people based on their looks, I’m using dishonest scales. I figure if that they are good looking, they must be a nice person. Then I read that Leo Tolstoy said, “It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness,” and my tilted scales go crashing to the floor.

I’ve also used dishonest scales when I’ve inaccurately weighed people based on their talent. If they show obvious talent for music or computers, I figure they’d be great to have working in the church. But I overlook the person whose gift is to sit quietly before the throne of God and gently pray for every need that comes to mind.

I tilt the scales to my advantage when I wonder how a rich person may be able to bless me or the church, how a friendly person can make me feel or how a well-known person can boost my ego by just being with them. Continue Reading