Living With Integrity (3)
Thursday March 3, 2016
Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death. (Psalm 9:13 NKJV)
Yesterday we discussed Daniel’s integrity and his wholehearted commitment to serve God while captive in a foreign land. Government officials around him were jealous of Daniel’s success and sought to find a violation with which he could be charged and punished for misconduct. The only way these schemers could damage Daniel’s influence with the king was to target his devotion to God. They convinced King Darius to issue a law banning prayer for 30 days to anyone, divine or human, except to the king himself. The punishment for noncompliance was death by being cast into a den of lions. Because of his faithfulness to the living God, Daniel would not obey this law. Daniel went home and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. (Daniel 6:10 NKJV)
When we live as people of integrity, we experience a deep inner peace knowing that we have not violated our conscience or hurt someone else. We can also be confident that when someone examines us, they will find no wrongdoing. In contrast, when our lives lack moral wholeness, we live in constant fear of being “found out” as frauds. If our lives were examined today, would we prove to be persons of integrity?
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9 NIV)
When we follow God’s principles in all we do, we will experience His favour. If we trust God when unjust consequences from our faithfulness to His word arise, then we can rely on God to take care of us as He took care of Daniel.
He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. (1 Corinthians 1:8 NLT)
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