WHY YOU MUST BUILD HONOUR AND INTEGRITY (PART 2 0F 2)

22nd OCTOBER 2022

 “And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David, your father walked, with the integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel”. –  1 Kings 9:4-5

This devotional is a continuation of yesterday’s devotional on why you must build your integrity, and also stressing the importance of honesty.

Why do we have to be honest? There are so many reasons why we have to be honest or to be a people of integrity. But we shall take very few of them:

·    Integrity enables us to tap into the blessings of our progenitors (1 Kings 9:4-5). When we are honest, it becomes easy for us to attract the faithfulness of the Lord concerning promises made to our ancestors.  Hence, God says to Solomon, “then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’”. –  1 Kings 9:4-5. David was faithful to God and God made a promise of everlasting kingship to him. To keep that promise alive, God expects Solomon to be faithful to Him as well. Therefore, for us to claim the blessings of our progenitors or ancestors, we have to be honest and obedient to God’s rules and commandments.

·    Integrity gives us a blessed assurance. (Proverbs 10:9) Most of the things that dent our image or put our life at risk come from dishonesty and despicable acts. Zacchaeus got rich by taking more taxes from people than his Roman masters demanded and pocketing the difference. The people hated him for that. But after he met Jesus, he said, “If I have cheated people…I will give them back four times as much!” (Luke 19:8) Consequently, Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this home today” (v. 9). But before that, Zacchaeus repurchased or rebuilt his integrity by genuine repentance. Therefore, integrity isn’t about regret, seeking to minimize painful consequences, or attempting to do damage control. It’s about honest repentance, making amends, and living in a way that guarantees you’ll do things differently in the future. Integrity, therefore, gives us a blessed assurance of our salvation as children of God.

·    Integrity is a formidable compass leading us to a perfect and healthy end. Proverbs 11:3 says; “The integrity of the upright shall guide them” Therefore, rebuilding your integrity means humbly acknowledging that sometimes your thoughts are not good for the ears and eyes of the public, or that you had hurt someone and therefore need to make things right. When we exercise restraint in such a situation, we remove crookedness that upsets our progress on a straight, healthy and peaceful path. 

·    Integrity gives us security. The Scripture says; “whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall”. (Proverbs 28:18). Therefore, integrity is better than riches; “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways”. (Proverbs 28:6). To get the best out of life, we must be honest, for “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit (1 Peter 3:10)

Again, I invite us to imbibe discipline, honesty and integrity as a way of building a long-lasting, healthy and wealthy relationship with God.

PRAYER

Father in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray this day for the spirit of integrity, honesty and uprightness. Lead me, Lord, to your heart wherein lay the power of deliverance that I may receive the purity and sanctification of your holiness. Father, let my integrity set me apart for your faithfulness, security and blessed assurance. AMEN.

FURTHER READING: Colossians 3:9; Numbers 30:2; John 8:32; 2 Timothy 2:15; Philippians 4:8.