Honourably

Honourably

The writer of Ecclesiastes said,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
   Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
I believe it. I also believe God will ask us something similar to what the Talmud states,
"When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
                                                                                                               The Talmud
God wants to hear from our own mouths the truth as to how we feel we dealt with our fellow man. Jesus tells this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  
“At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,  for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” 
                                            Luke 16:19-31.
Today I would ask you when you stand before God will you be able to say you “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
If you are a business owner do you pay your employees a good living wage and benefits? To you do you best to even help them from time to time. An example would be allowing a parent to take time off to care for a sick child or family member.
If you are a politician do you do what is right for the individual in your constituency. Do you help pass legislation that specifically benefits the poorest in your constituency rather than simply pass tax breaks.
As an individual do you respect others and do what you can to help the poor and less fortunate in your community?
When you stand before God what will he say to you?
Please think about it.