“He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart…
who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

Who honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind.”

Psalms 15:2-4

I remember hearing observing how my Dad handled business. One of his principles is found in the passage above. He would rather be cheated than to cheat another person.

This morning Patrina and I met with a contractor who did some work for us a few weeks ago and what he had promised wasn’t delivered fully by his team. Once he saw the completed work with his own eyes, he agreed to make things right. He stood by his word even though it will cost him in both labor and materials.

On our part, the challenge was to make our request while following this principle written by Paul in his letter to the Romans:

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” 

Romans 12:18

We made every effort to avoid being demanding, dissatisfied customers. We attempted to apply those same principles found in the Golden Rule –

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

Matthew 7:12

No matter which side of the transaction you may play, remember to do all you can to live in a way that honors others and the God we serve.