Rom 12:17 says, “Provide things honest in the sight of all men”. Thankfully, we live in a country where we are still able to live a “quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”. We don’t have to hide or lie in order to survive. As a result, we must provide things honest in the sight of all men. We must be:
Honest with the Lord. When dealing with the Lord, we must be completely honest with him. We must be straight with him in our prayer requests and our motives. So many times, our prayers have an ulterior motive, Jas 4:3. We have become so used to putting up a spiritual front with others and painting everything in a spiritual light, that we aren’t honest in our dealings with God. Apply Ps 139:23-24. Ask the Lord to search your heart and know your thoughts and show you the wicked way that may be in you. That way he can lead you in the way everlasting, and you will be right with him. Be honest. If you aren’t honest with him, you certainly won’t be honest with others.
Honest with each other. In our relationships with others who are close to us, we must provide things honest. It is so easy to lie to cover your own fault or criticize others to keep from dealing with your own problem. How is it that you can see the mote in someone else’s eye and you cannot see the beam that’s in yours? In a recent conversation with a couple not attending our church, I took them to Eph 5:21-33 to help them see their responsibility to each other in marriage. He had been so busy criticizing her lack of submission, and she his lack of love, that they had both neglected to admit their own fault in the relationship. As soon as they saw the truth in scripture, they both acknowledged that they had not been honest about their contribution to the problems they were having. This is the first step in solving them.
Honest with them that are without, 1 Thes 4:12. We live in a society that is very dishonest in business, in law, in politics, and so forth. As a result, you may have the impression that you are justified to be dishonest in your dealings with them that are without. Not so. The world holds us to a higher standard because we name the name of Jesus. Likewise, Jesus holds us to an absolute standard of honesty. In Acts 6:3, the men who were chosen to serve the widows had to be first of “honest report”. When Paul administered the offerings from Achaia and Macedonia for the Jews in Judea, he implemented triple control over the funds to provide things honest in the sight of the Lord and men, 2 Cor 8:20-21. Be completely honest in all of your dealings with men.
Conclusion: Ask the Lord to search your heart tonight and show you any area where you may not be totally honest with him. Examine your relationships and admit any area of dishonesty between you and your relations. And look for areas in your life where you may not be honest in your dealings with men without. In every case, provide things honest.