Archive for March, 2024
Integrity: No Price Too Great
Proverbs 2: 6 – 8
Jesus asked the ageless question, “What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
For thirty pieces of silver Judas sold himself. What’s your price? If your integrity were up for sale, what would be your asking price?
Integrity is best defined by some synonyms, such as, honesty, faithfulness, sincerity, and innocence. It means having a mind free of subterfuge and deception. The writer of Proverbs used the Hebrew word for integrity, TOM (tome), that in our text is translated “walks upright.” It is an axiom that means “one who has a lifestyle free of a hidden agenda.” It means you don’t have anything to hide.
We must have an integrity compass set on a true spiritual north. That setting is Jesus Christ. We must be locked on to Him or we lose our direction.
Integrity is a 24 year-old Abraham Lincoln serving as postmaster of New Salem, Illinois, for an annual salary of $55.70. Even the youthful Lincoln showed the integrity that earned him the title “Honest Abe.” The New Salem post office was closed in 1836, but it was several years before a government agent arrived from Washington to settle the accounts with Ex-Postmaster Lincoln who was at the time a struggling young lawyer not doing well. The agent informed him that there was $17 due the government. Lincoln crossed the room, opened an old trunk, and took out a yellow cotton rag bound with a string. Untying it, he spread out the cloth revealing the $17. He had been holding it all those years. Lincoln said, “I never use any man’s money but my own.” That is integrity.
“He who walks in integrity walks securely…” (Proverbs 10: 9). “Walks” is a word for “lifestyle.” This is an appeal to maintain a lifestyle of integrity. When life is over, God will not measure our integrity by our moments of brilliance but by our consistency. To do so, a word within the word integrity speaks of a characteristic needed. Notice it “inteGRITy,” it takes GRIT.
Integrity means singing “I will be true to thee till death” and meaning it. It means engaging in a death-defying dedication to demonstrate it.
Integrity means abiding by your convictions against all odds when your closest friends are saying of the world “I came, I saw, I concurred.” It is being able to walk away saying, “I came, I saw, I conquered, through the power of Jesus Christ.”
He is a shield to those who walk upright, that is, in integrity.
Notice, it is not integrity that is a shield; it is God Himself who is the shield for the person who manifests integrity. As a shield takes the blows on itself intended for another, so our Lord takes our potential injury on Himself.
The fact a shield is needed clearly implies warfare. A person who dares to maintain a lifestyle of integrity can expect to be engaged in spiritual warfare. The person who valiantly and virtuously maintains integrity will not lack for a Helper nor an ultimate reward.
How Deep Are Your Spiritual Roots
Jesus said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8: 11 – 15).
In this parable the seed is representative of the gospel.
Four types of soil and the response of seed sown on them represent various responses to the gospel. In reviewing them consider persons you have known and by which response they are characterized. Don’t stop there. Which type are you?
Note, “some fell by the wayside.” “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”
The wayside was the path where people walked, and nothing could grow because the ground was too hard. Do you know anyone like that?
Observe, “some fell on rock.” On rock was where the soil was thin, lying upon a stony shelf. On this ground the seed sprang up quickly because of the warmth of the soil, but the seed was unable to take root because of the rocky shelf. These are “the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.”
Got anybody in mind?
Consider, “some fell among thorns….” “Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” Among thorns described soil that is fertile — perhaps too fertile, because thorns grow there as well as grain. The thorns choked out the good grain and did not make a productive crop.
Does anyone come to mind?
“Some fell on good soil.” Good ground described soil that was both fertile and weed-free. A good, productive crop grew in the good ground. The crop may be a hundredfold increase to what was sown. Now, “the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” Hopefully several people come to mind.
May you properly consider yourself as good soil. If so, study the Word, that is the seed, that you may know what crop to expect. The more you study the more deeply your roots will grow and the better the crop.
Reading God’s Mind
Do you want to know God’s will for your life? Some individuals say they have prayed for God to reveal his will and He hasn’t. There are Bible examples of such instances. Sometimes He doesn’t reveal it because from His perspective he knows you won’t do it.
To find God’s will it is like searching for an unknown. To find an unknown always start with the known. Applied that means if you want to know God’s unrevealed, that is the unknown will, start with the known will and do it before asking for more of His will. It is like playing an instrument. You master one lesson before going on to the next.
There are certain parts of God’s will He has made very clear, they are well known. We must begin by doing what we know He wants us to do. Check yourself out on these known. Are you doing them?
Your Salvation. God is ‘not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3: 9). Have you trusted Jesus as savior and committed to obey Him?
Your Sanctification. Have you set yourself aside for His use? “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”.
Your Sexuality. “For this is the will of God…that you should abstain from sexual immorality” (I Thess. 4:3).
Your Sacrifice. “…present your body a living sacrifice…that you may prove the good and perfect will of God for you” (Romans 12: 1, 2).
Your Stewardship. Jesus said you “ought to tithe” (Matthew 23:23).
Your Spirit. You should “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thess. 5: 18).
Comply in these areas before undertaking to find more of God’s will for you to do. If not, why should He reveal more for you not to do?
Patiently give Him time to be God. Wait on the Lord, run not before Him.
Be mindful:
He guides consecutively. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way” (Psalms 37:23).
He guides completely. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go…” (Psalms 32: 8).
He guides cooperatively. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God”. (Romans 8: 14).
The Greek word translated led is “ago”. It does not refer to an inanimate object, like a sled, which has to be drug. It is used of a well-trained and obedient animal that responds to the slightest tug by its master’s leash.
Are you willing to submissively follow? Do so if you desire His will.
Wait On the Lord
“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
That verse contains one of the major challenges in Christendom. It is counter to our microwave mentality, our search for instant gratification. I even saw a prestige car tag: “HTE2WTE”.
Even in one’s prayer life there is impatience. We ask and wait for an answer. An affirming answer is a blessing. However, the time between the request and the answer often draws us closer to the Lord than the answer.
“Wait” translates the Hebrew “kiwah.” It is a word that draws a picture for us. It describes starting with one thread and weaving it with sequential threads until a strong rope results. Every experience with the Lord is a thread in the tie that binds you closer to Him. The time of waiting is a school in which faith is developed and exercised while waiting for all things to work together.
We are instructed to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4: 8) There are many ways to do that. I am going to focus on one. He said, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46: 10)
Solitude is the incubator in which the fertile Word of God has time to develop Christlike characteristics. Fenelon, a voice from yesteryear wrote: “How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.”
We are indeed in His keeping, under His training FOR HIS TIMING. His timing is always the right time. Often our timing and His timing are not always in sync.
God’s Word speaks often of time. Consider. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1).
GIVE GOD TIME TO BE GOD.
Faith that is willing to wait on God is assuring, insuring, and enduring.
Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.
Faith helps us walk fearlessly, run confidently, and live victoriously.
The Lord wants to enable you to stretch yourself spiritually and expand the circumference of your faith. The time spent waiting expectantly on His action is a means of doing so. While waiting on Him “be of good courage.” The English word courage comes from the Latin “cour” which is a reference to the condition of the heart. Those who wait on the Lord find He does indeed afford strength. This is a metaphor for confidence and composure.
The prophet Jeremiah got it right when under the guidance of the Holy Spirit he wrote: “For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64: 4).
“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
March Madness: Part Two
This time of year sports news is satiated with basketball. March Madness is a type of disorder including violent mood swings. Like millions my spirit soars when my favorite team scores a three pointer and my heart sinks when they miss the front end of a one-and-one. Emotions erupt when the Dark Vader of basketball, Duke (one of my personal favorites) gets eliminated.
The humble background of basketball makes it special. James Naismith, a Canadian-American, an inventor, educator, physician, and chaplain invented the game in 1830. Naismith was an ordained Presbyterian minister whose job was to help young men to become professional leaders in the rapidly growing Sunday School movement and simultaneously establish YMCAs. His objective was to build character and inculcate Christian character in the young men. Playing basketball was to be a pathway to solid character formation. It soon expanded beyond the school, giving young men an alternative to hanging out at saloons.
The symbol of the “Y” was a red triangle symbolizing the holistic combination of the three sides of human nature: physical, mental, and spiritual.
A photo from the era in which the game emerged shows the building in which basketball was begun and the sign over the entrance, “School for Christian Workers.” Officially it was the “International YMCA Training School.” It was birthed of necessity. The young men who had participated in football needed some means of venting their energy during the winter months.
Naismith’s idea of a game with a goal prompted him to ask a janitor for two 18-inch square boxes. None being available he settled for two half-bushel peach baskets. He nailed one on each end of the gym balcony which happened to be ten feet high. Initially people stood in the balcony and recovered the ball for play. Soon the bottom was cut from the baskets.
The game adopted ideas from several games of its time, including American rugby (passing), English rugby (the jump ball), lacrosse (use of a goal), soccer (the shape and size of the ball), and duck on a rock, which Naismith played with his childhood friends in Bennie’s Corners, Ontario. Initially there were three centers, three forwards, and three guards. Two opposing centers faced off at mid-court, Naismith tossed the ball, and the game of basketball was born, relieving the young men of Springfield of their boredom.
One of my all time favorite players and dear friend, Pete Marivich, put it in perspective. The evening I baptized him we sat in my study with him asking one spiritually related question after the other. Suddenly he stood up and slapped my desk saying, “Man, was I good…” He having averaged 44 points a game in college before the three point play, I could not argue the point. Then he continued, “Just think what I could have been if I had Jesus in my heart then.”
Our nation would be better if the game still had those three virtues inculcated in the game and all of life today.