Bishop Edgely shared a story during a previous conference talk. He had been working for the season away from home about 370 miles and he drove home and his father noticed 3 towels form the resort he was working for (the kind you cannot buy) in the back of his truck. His father simply said that he expected more of his son. Bishop Edgely drove the 370 miles there and 370 miles back to return the towels and his father did not need to ask why he was doing it.
What is honesty?
(definitions shared by the sisters)
- integrity
- truth
- sincere and truthful without deceit in all of our dealings
We must be honest in our thoughts and to ourselves. One sister made the comment about not being honest about something and how sometimes you are "waiting for the other shoe to drop" or rather waiting for you to be caught in your dishonesty or deceit.
How are we tempted to be dishonest?
D&C 10:25-26
Satans goal to destroy our souls. Lying just a little is still lying.
Read paragraphs in the chapter:
To Lie is Dishonest
Lying is intentionally deceiving others. Bearing false witness is one form of lying. The Lord gave this commandment to the children of Israel: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (
Exodus 20:16). Jesus also taught this when He was on earth (see
Matthew 19:18). There are many other forms of lying. When we speak untruths, we are guilty of lying. We can also intentionally deceive others by a gesture or a look, by silence, or by telling only part of the truth. Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.
The Lord is not pleased with such dishonesty, and we will have to account for our lies. Satan would have us believe it is all right to lie. He says, “Yea, lie a little; … there is no harm in this” (
2 Nephi 28:8). Satan encourages us to justify our lies to ourselves. Honest people will recognize Satan’s temptations and will speak the whole truth, even if it seems to be to their disadvantage.
To Steal is Dishonest
Jesus taught, “Thou shalt not steal” (Matthew 19:18). Stealing is taking something that does not belong to us. When we take what belongs to someone else or to a store or to the community without permission, we are stealing. Taking merchandise or supplies from an employer is stealing. Copying music, movies, pictures, or written text without the permission of the copyright owners is dishonest and is a form of theft. Accepting more change or goods than one should is dishonest. Taking more than our share of anything is stealing.
To Cheat is Dishonest
We cheat when we give less than we owe, or when we get something we do not deserve. Some employees cheat their employers by not working their full time; yet they accept full pay. Some employers are not fair to their employees; they pay them less than they should. Satan says, “Take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor” (2 Nephi 28:8). Taking unfair advantage is a form of dishonesty. Providing inferior service or merchandise is cheating.
Why should we be honest? We may have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost when we are completely honest.
