A Matter of Importance: Part 2

Let’s have another look at the importance of integrity. It matters to people and it matters to God. Of course, His is the deeper all-inclusive view.

When Samuel the Prophet was called upon to anoint a king, he was impressed by a tall handsome fellow. But God said, “Don’t consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7, BSB).

This is a good concept for all relationships. Look beyond beauty, wealth, or thinking what’s in it for me? Watch for important signs of inner beauty and integrity.

Does God still look into our hearts? I Samuel 15:29 says God does not lie or change His mind. If you care about living a good life and pleasing God, you will read His word, and hide it in your heart for guidance. (Psalm 119:11).

David said, “I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness” (I Chronicles 29:17). Isaiah had good reason to share God’s strong warning of “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil . . .” (Isaiah 5:20).

We are advised to turn from evil and do good (Psalm 37:27-28). God is long-suffering to people of both good and evil, however, there will be a day of accountability. Each of us will be rewarded according to our works (Revelation 22:11-15).

What is your most important work? To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from your sins, and to have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (John 3:16, and Revelation 20:11-15).

If we ask God to forgive our sins, He will. But then we are to walk in integrity before Him, trying to please Him in every way (Colossians 1:10-12).

Remember, God judges from the inside out. Integrity does have eternal consequences.

Pixabay: Question mark, question; Peggy_Marco.

A Matter of Importance: Part 1

Have you ever considered what kind of relationships give you peace? I had a fifty-two-year relationship that worked well for me. I credit that to a husband who lived his life with personal integrity. But we also bring peace to ourselves. 

It’s been a long time since I read *Psalm 101, NLT. It's a no-nonsense declaration of David’s desire to live a life of integrity. Bible scholars say he wrote this early in his reign as king. Approximately eleven times he says “I will” do this or that.  

Integrity means living by personal moral and ethical principles. It means doing the right thing even when no one is looking. It means being honest and consistent, in contrast to being dishonest and shifty.

Some examples of integrity are respect, honesty, and responsibility . . . patience, hard work, and accountability. When I think of integrity I also think of self-control because integrity doesn’t just happen. We live with integrity on purpose and by choice.

Integrity has been important to all generations. It should start in the home. (v.2-3). Do we think only we moderns are tempted to watch vile and vulgar things? 

I know this was written long before a culture bombarded by temptations like pornography, or heavy sexual content in movies, DVDs, or television, but even ancient Job made a similar covenant with his eyes (Job 31:1). Men and women both need to wisely withstand visual temptations.

David’s further choices for integrity included: 1) rejecting perverse and evil ideas, 2) avoiding crooked people, including those who slander others, 3) rejecting the proud, 4) choosing companions who live above reproach, and 5) not allowing liars or deceivers to serve him in any way (V. 3-7).

The kinds of cities we live in reflect the kinds of people we are. A majority of people living by integrity can greatly influence a community for good.

**Proverbs 14:34, NIV says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Do you live with integrity even when no one is looking? In your home? Your business? Your school? Your church? Don’t kid yourself. Integrity matters.

*Scripture notations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by Permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

**Scripture notations marked NIV are taken from The Thompson Chain Reference Bible New International Version, copyright 1983 by the B.B. Kirkbride Bible Company, Inc., and the Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.  

 Pixabay: Question, Decision; TheDigitalArtist.

Reasons to Rejoice

It’s easy to rejoice in things that bring us joy. For example, I’m rejoicing today that one of my Goddaughters is coming to visit and bringing my favorite brownies as only she makes them. On the other hand, I rejoice on a deeper level when I consider some of the things that only God can do.

We’re looking at Psalm 97 (*NLT) today. It mentions that righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s throne. That’s something we rarely read about earthly kings and leaders, but I’m sure people living under such rulers rejoice (v. 1,2).

Do you ever rejoice when you look up at the heavens? This psalm says every nation sees His glory up there (V. 6). A similar thought is beautifully written in Psalm 19:1-6. What we see above us is like an unwritten language sending a message of God’s glorious creative work to all the peoples of the earth.  

It’s not hard to understand that a righteous God would love acts of righteousness and hate evil (V. 10, Psalm 145:17). In fact, chapter two of Habakkuk shares some warnings to those who do evil.    

The word "woe" is a heavy-duty warning of something that will bring grief, sorrow, and/or misery. Consider this, for example: Stealing to make yourself wealthy. Or how about building your rule by unjust gain, or getting someone drunk to take advantage of them? You can read woe warnings for yourself in Habakkuk 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19, **NIV.

God loves to shine His light on the godly (V. 11). One way He does this is through scripture, described as a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Gladness and joy are experienced by those whose hearts are right before God (V. 11-12).

When the Spirit of God convicts them of unrighteousness, they respond quickly, saying, “Cleanse my heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

Let’s continue to look up and rejoice in the Lord. Freely praise Him for His good works in both our lives and in our world (Genesis 1, Psalm 96:2-3).

*Scripture notations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by Permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

**Scripture notations marked NIV are taken from The Thompson Chain Reference Bible New International Version, copyright 1983 by The B.B. Kirkbride Bible Company, Inc. and The Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Pixabay: Emotions, Smile, Happy. 95C

 

Angels Available

There are various beliefs and teachings about angels. I attended a memorial today where a cousin of the man who died shared an angel testimony. It seems his cousin was being taken to the hospital in an ambulance when the EMT said, “Hurry, we’re losing him.” The man lived, and later he said, “I heard the EMT, opened my eyes, and saw two angels sitting beside me.”

Angels are mentioned in the psalm I studied today, too. Only sixteen verses long, this psalm first impacted me when an older member of the church where we pastored stood up and said, “I’d like to share my insurance policy.” He then quoted Psalm 91. I was highly impressed.

Faith in God is good, but it must be activated to be effective. We do that when we pray, asking God to deliver us from evil and the evil one. This can include traps of various kinds, diseases, and disasters (*Psalm 91:3-4, NLT).

Psalm 91 can be divided into five sections:

1.       Have faith in God (V. 1-2)

2.       He will help you (V. 3-4)

3.       Do not fear (V. 5-8)

4.       Angels are available (v. 9-13)

5.       The Lord helps those who trust in Him (V. 14-16)

We can make the Lord our refuge when we know His promises. We can call upon Him to help us as we stand upon (believe in) His word (Psalm 91:14-15; 4). The question then is, “How well do you know God’s word?” If you take time to read it for yourself each day, you will learn His faithful promises. This psalm says they can function as your armor and protection (V. 4).

There is no reason to live in fear or dread, day or night (V. 5-6). Instead, we are urged to pray because the Lord will rescue those who call upon Him (V. 14-15). He has angels to dispense as our supporters and protectors (V. 11-12).

How wonderful to serve a God who cares about us. Let's remember this powerful God can help us and provide needed protection whenever we activate our faith to call upon Him for help.

*Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2207 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by Permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

*Pixabay: Bible, Open, Book Images; Pexel.

 

You Can Count On This

I once asked Mom, “What is your favorite Bible verse?” She immediately answered, “Great peace have they who love thy law: And nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165, KJV).

As a minister’s wife for fifty years, I’m sure there were plenty of times this verse helped her. Offensive things can be odors, actions, or words. But I think words take the prize.

I tried to follow Mom’s example. God’s word was my peace, and I wanted to please Him above all others. But I also appreciate the wisdom of Solomon in that there is . . . a time to be silent and a time to speak (*Ecclesiastes 3:7b, BSB).

I was reminded of Mom’s verse this week as I studied Psalm 119. Perhaps you know that this Psalm is the longest chapter in the Bible. If we could read it in the original Hebrew, we would see that there are twenty-two sections, each one beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I so enjoy these small nuggets of God’s word.

I stopped to consider Psalm 119:160 this week. The New Living Translation (*NLT) says: The very essence of your words is truth; all your regulations will stand forever. I don’t know about you, but I’m having a hard time knowing who’s telling the truth these days.

What a relief to know I can read God’s word and trust what it says. It’s not ever going to become obsolete since God’s word will stand truthfully forever. We are cautioned to be people of truth as well. First John 2:3-6 says if we say we love God, but don’t keep His commandments we are liars, there’s no truth in us.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Could it be any plainer?

You can’t count on what you don’t know. Are you reading your personal Bible daily?

Time is valuable. Consider your earthly and heavenly priorities. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).

BSB: The Holy Bible, The Berean Standard Bible, Copyright 2022 by Bible Hub, Used by Permission, All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

KJV: The Holy Bible, King James Version, The World Publishing Company, New York, USA, Used by permission.

NLT: The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois, Copyright 2012, Used by Permission.

My Favorite Four-Letter Word

I hear this word five days a week at the end of *Allen Jackson NOW. This is a new half-hour program where Pastor Jackson of Murfreesboro, TN handles pertinent topics with interviews, then ends with a pastoral perspective. He closes by saying, “I believe we have more reasons for hope than despair.”

Love used to be my favorite word, but it varies from the mundane to the sublime. I love lemon pie, I love going on vacation I love my husband, I love God and God loves me.

Levels of love seem to vary, depending on other people; however, hope is a personal choice.

Job is one of the best examples of hope. His wife had no patience with his suffering. She said, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

To Job’s credit, he let her negativity float on by. Hope was his choice, and he would not give it up. He said she was speaking foolishly and concluded with this: “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” (**Job 2:9-10)

When three well-meaning but non-comforting friends came by, Job had an even stronger answer: “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” (Job 13:15). His hope gave him the strength to stay focused on his faith.

Hope results in joy. Characteristics of believers are to include being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and persistent in prayer. (Romans 12:12) Thank God for the work of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures to help us develop these three things in our lives.

If you have not read the book of Job lately, now would be a great time to do so.

Job’s story is one of personal patience, perseverance, and his choice to endure. The way I see it, hope might have been Job’s favorite four-letter word, too.

*Allen Jackson NOW is available on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) Monday through Friday. I watch on DISH, but if you prefer streaming look for their app at tbn.org.

**All scriptures are from the Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible (BSB), Published by Bible Hub, Pittsburg, PA, USA, Copyright 2022, Used by Permission.

Pixabay Illustration: I pulled this one years ago for my picture file. That was before I knew I was to credit someone. 

A Good Break

I’ve just enjoyed a good break. It was better than the one in March when I needed a partial hip replacement. But I’m happy to say, “Praise the Lord.  I’ve come a long way in my recovery.”

I took a break from writing my weekly blog and did a lot of reading instead. I enjoy writing my blog, but my challenge is to make a meaningful point in less than 400 words. The reason is that many people read on their cell phones and do not enjoy long articles. I’m one of them.

Writers are always on the lookout for golden nuggets.  These ideas can be further developed in time, and mine are usually jotted down on sticky notes or handy scraps of paper.

Life has routines, but breaks are important. Anyone who works eight or more hours a day will tell you even fifteen minutes away from tasks is refreshing. During our forty years of ministry, my husband and I enjoyed our assignments, but we looked forward to our weekly refreshing day off.  

God Himself took a break. In Genesis chapter one we read of His day-by-day creation of the heavens, skies, and seas, plus everything in them. But chapter two breaks from chapter one by saying on the seventh day God rested from all His labor. He also blessed the seventh day and sanctified it (*Genesis 2:1-3).

That blessing showed up again. When God gave Moses ten basic commandments for a healthy society, number four was:  Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, do no work (Exodus 20:8-11). “Sabbath” comes from the Hebrew word “shabbat,” meaning to cease or desist.

Jesus always worshiped on the Sabbath, but He rebuked the finger-pointing legalists by saying He was Lord of the Sabbath and He desired mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 12:1-14). He also declared that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

After Jesus’ resurrection, His followers started worshiping on the first day of the week. But God’s plan for a weekly break was never pulled back. The fulfillment is up to us. If you’ve thought it wasn’t important, please think again.

*All Scriptures from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible (BSB), Published by Bible Hub, Pittsburg, PA, USA, Copyright 2022; Used by Permission.

Pixabay Illustration: Paper, Pen, Notebook; Ivan_Digon.