Use Integrity and Wisdom in Business -Proverbs 11:1-10

Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.

Proverbs 11:3 (NIV)
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

Proverbs 11:3 (MSG)
The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.
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“The integrity and moral courage of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.” -AMPLIFIED

We find Solomon’s turning his focus toward work standards, or business principles. The average person spends 30% or one-third of their life working. That is a good chunk of your life, and Solomon wanted his listeners, or readers, to be aware of the value of integrity and leading a righteous life, even in business practices.

“Business may well be the most common human activity, so God cares deeply about how we conduct our business. Many proverbs address honesty in all forms of business—buying, selling, negotiating, transacting, and working. All of these depend on trust. Deceit in business causes many people to suffer. In fact, world economies and all our livelihoods depend in large measure on truthfulness, honesty, and fair dealings in the market.” ~ VOICE footnote

Verse 1:
“Dishonesty in business disgusts the Eternal, but fair dealing delights Him.” -(VOICE)

Proverbs 11 begins with an admonition that God is outraged over dishonest business and cheating. In fact, the word used for “disgusts” in other translations is as follows: abhors, hates, disgusting, abomination, or detests. (You get the idea.) God cannot stand dishonesty, cheating, or false business practices. On the other hand, He takes delight in those who are honest and do business in a trustworthy manner.

Verse 2:
“When pride comes, shame is not far behind, but wisdom accompanies those who are humble.” -(VOICE)

We have found that the sin of pride is a theme that weaves in and out throughout Proverbs. Here we find that pride in business is not to be tolerated either. Once again we are told that the proud person will certainly fall.

“The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm.” -(MSG)

The wise person in business, though, is a humble person. That person will go far; for they are standing firmly on the Foundation.

Verse 3:
“The right-living are guided by integrity, but the crooked ways of the faithless will lead to ruin.” -(VOICE)

Integrity is that quality that Scripture teaches us to live by. Integrity is: honesty, moral character, incorruptibility, and having soundness. It is someone who has made a choice to take a stand and do what is right, no matter what comes their way. The opposite of integrity is: dishonesty, deceit, dishonor, and incompleteness; all the characteristics of a fool in business.

“Integrity is built by defeating the temptation to be dishonest; humility grows when we refuse to be prideful; and endurance develops every time you reject the temptation to give up.” ~Rick Warren

Verse 4:
“Riches won’t matter on the day of wrath, but right living will rescue from death.” -(VOICE)

Here Solomon tells us that wealth will do no good for the fool when the day of accountability arrives. God cannot be bought off. The one who has chosen to live a life of integrity, though, will be rewarded for his right living.

“A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst.” -(MSG)

Verse 5:
“The good deeds of the blameless pave a peaceful, productive path, but wrongdoers trip over their own faults.” -(VOICE)

Living a life of moral character and integrity will bring its own rewards: respectability, trust, and loyalty, just to name a few. The one who chooses to live above suspicion has nothing to hide so he can walk in peace and be productive.

The fool, though, has to constantly worry that he is keeping his story straight, and wondering if his deceit will be found out. His life will be difficult; for he needs to constantly on his toes, otherwise he will certainly fall on his face.

Verse 6:
“The good deeds of the upright will rescue them, but the faithless will be conquered by their shallow desires.” -(VOICE)

The wise person’s good character and choice to be a person of integrity will keep them safe. But, the fool will be caught in his own treachery. (What goes around comes around.)

“Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.” -(MSG)

Verse 7:
“When wrongdoers die, their hopes die with them. Their great expectations vanish into nothing more than a dream.” -(VOICE)

Where is the hope of the fool? They have none! Every hope and dream that they envisioned, in business and otherwise, is gone and over once they die. They put their confidence in the temporal, not in the eternal, and when their life is over so are their dreams.

“When the wicked die, that’s it—the story’s over, end of hope.” -(MSG)

Verse 8:
“Those who do right are pulled from trouble; it falls on wrongdoers instead who are left to sink in their own problems.” -(VOICE)

The righteous person will be saved from trouble, even in business, but the fool, the crook, the criminal, will fall into the troubles of his own making.

Verse 9:
“The words of the godless ruin those close to them, but through insight the right-living are spared.” -(VOICE)

We find in this proverb a warning once again against the wrong use of the mouth. The fool uses it for ill and in the end brings destruction and ruin upon himself and those closest to him. (Gossip, rumors, falsehoods…)

The righteous man, though, is careful of what he says and about whom. He uses his tongue to build up, not tear down, and in the end he will be rewarded for his discretion.

“The loose tongue of the godless spreads destruction; the common sense of the godly preserves them.” -(MSG)

Verse 10:
“When prosperity comes to those who do right, the whole city celebrates; but when the wicked get their just punishment, there is joyous cheering.” -(VOICE)

Interestingly, we find a time of celebration for both the righteous man and the fool, but for two entirely different reasons. When the good man, the righteous man, has success we find that the community celebrates with him. They are overjoyed that his business is doing well and he is prospering.

The opposite is true for the fool. When he receives his just deserts, his punishment for bad business practices, we find the community rejoicing that he finally got what he deserved.

“When it goes well for good people, the whole town cheers; when it goes badly for bad people, the town celebrates.” -(MSG)

Be a person of integrity and wisdom in all areas of your life, including business. God will bless you for doing things His way and not the ways of this World.

“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.” ~Zig Ziglar

My Prayer:
Lord, help me to be honest and use integrity in every area of my life. My desire is to bring glory and honor to you in all that I do; including in the work place. Remind me that I need to let my light shine bright for you at all times; especially among those who I work with. They are my mission field, and I need to be your hands, feet, and heart to those people. Help me to live my life as an example of Jesus, I pray. Thank you for being my constant companion and for your help and encouragement in carrying out this mission for you.