Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Honesty Brings Praise to Jehovah

JEHOVAH requires that his servants be honest, just, and trustworthy. For instance, Moses was advised to select as overseers those who were “capable men, fearing God, trustworthy men, hating unjust profit.” (Exodus 18:21) Like those chosen men, Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide are known to be trustworthy, as the following experience shows.

◻ A Witness who works at the Watch Tower Society’s branch office in Ghana was mistakenly overpaid $3,630 by a bank cashier. The mistake was not noticed by the cashier or the brother at the time. Reaching home, however, the brother saw that he had been overpaid and immediately returned to the bank with the money. The cashier, catching sight of the brother, exclaimed: “Here he is! He has truly returned! David, your man has brought the money!” The money was returned to the cashier. David, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who works at the same bank, had assured the cashier and others who knew of the mistake that the money would be returned as soon as the brother discovered the mistake.

“While this drama was going on,” the report states, “all eyes” were upon the two brothers. The one who returned the money explained: “Well, I couldn’t have kept this money with a good conscience before my God, Jehovah.” This incident added to the respect the bank officials already have for the Watch Tower Society.

Honesty engenders respect, especially in a world that is so dishonest. This brother knew that he was accountable to one higher than man, Jehovah God. Such honesty brings praise to Jehovah, as he is “a God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice.”​—Deuteronomy 32:4.

◻ Being honest and maintaining a good conscience toward God is also noted in an experience of a young man in Thailand. He had subscribed for The Watchtower and Awake! and was starting to apply the Bible counsel he found in these journals. He was the chief accountant of the company he worked for, and his conscience began to bother him, since it was the custom for many businesses to keep two sets of books in order to evade taxes. When he approached the manager about this matter, the manager just laughed. Then came in one of the magazines another article stressing the need for honesty. With a troubled conscience, the accountant prayed to Jehovah to help him straighten out this tax matter with his manager. A large amount of money was involved. The next morning he asked the manager for permission to pay the taxes due, and to his surprise, the manager agreed without any further argument.

Now this man is happy as he leads an honest life before God and man. Such a wise course makes Jehovah happy, too, for as Proverbs 27:11 states: “Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me.”

[Picture on page 21]

“I couldn’t have kept this money with a good conscience”