Justice is one of the cornerstones of the Gospel message. It starts with very personal justice, the justice we show to those to whom we owe money. If you owe it, pay it!
I once worked in an organization that lived by the philosophy of using other people’s money. They would purchase items and wait until the end of the “30 days net due” period to pay. They did it to gain a few cents worth of interest and out of some strange sense of value. They would bargain and haggle to get the best price and then wait until the last minute to pay, even while having plenty of resources to pay full price. And they expected to be blessed in this process!
If you owe someone something, and you have what it will take to pay them, pay them! Don’t hold onto their money. They earned it, it is now their money. To withhold it is stealing. This is especially true of wages. If you have hired someone to do something for you, pay them when the work is completed. Chances are they need the money far more than you do.
The next bit of wisdom deals with devising plots against neighbors. Plots are plans to take advantage of them in some way where you gain the benefit. It is taking the benefit that is rightly due them and changing the rules so that you get the upside instead of them. Plots can deal with reputation or actual material gain. Plotting often involves other people who knowingly or unknowingly participate in the reallocation of resources. You have probably convinced them it is the right thing, the best thing.
The next step down the ladder of interpersonal relationship don’ts is making false accusations. You make up a crime and then blame it on someone else. You do it just to get them in trouble. Perhaps you want to raise your standing in the community, look like the good guy. Again, you gain in some way by their downfall.
Each of these has to do with justice, doing the right thing at the right time. Do what is right. Listen to wisdom.
The Arnold Journey 