The awful truth is most people, who reject the saving grace of Jesus Christ, do so because of the hypocrisy witnessed in those who claim to follow Christ. That is a tremendous blow for those of us who love the Lord and who are faithfully following him. This is continued evidence of the spiritual warfare in which we endure.
In every aspect of life there are numerous signs of this; the impatient driver who cuts in front, the mother who yells at her child, the employee who steals from their employer, the salesperson who cheats an unsuspecting client, and this list goes on an on. This is not description of those who don’t know Jesus, but those who do.
We are called to “Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do, must be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT).
As followers of Jesus, we desire to live with integrity in our day-to-day lives in this fallen world, which is an increasing challenge because of the moral decay we witness daily. Some even fall prey to living in God’s Grace, and treat it as a “get out of jail free card” which is another tactic the evil one has used with great success.
God’s loving grace is something to be honored not treated with disrespect. It is true that you can be forgiven anything, but we should accept his forgiveness with deep humility and awesome reverence for the one who is bestowing that forgiveness and the life that paid for our pardon. (Romans 5:20-21, 6:11)
The definition of integrity is Honesty, without compromise or corruption. In this fallen world that is a huge order to fill, but not for the child of God who has the Holy Spirit living in them. His purpose is to make us Holy, which means: Consecrated or set aside for special use. We cannot live a life of integrity without the Holy Spirit. We cannot fight off the evil one, stand firm or make any lasting changes in our thoughts or attitudes without submitting to the Holy Spirit’s authority. (2 Corinthians 10: 4-7)
If you are willing, take this integrity check up. Do you act differently at church than at home or work? Do you treat your family members differently in public than in private? Do you make excuses for not doing your best for your employer? It maybe painful to answer these questions, but if you do honestly and seek the Lord for forgiveness and ask for help in making changes, you will be the path of integrity and a life that honors our Lord Jesus Christ.
“The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity says, “I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.” (Isaiah 57:15)
Copyright©2010 –tathorpe-All Rights Reserved-
