Walk Of Life – Day 19, October 2021 – Thoughts From The Book Of Proverbs
Opt To Walk In Integrity
Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. – Proverbs 19:1
Here are some words that define integrity: the quality of being honest and fair; the state of being complete or whole; adherence to a code of moral or artistic values; not corruptible. For me, integrity means that my words and actions line up. I am who I say I am. If I claim to be a Christian (which I am), it is my hope that you see that evidenced in my life wherever I am: at church, at home, at work, at play, with Christian friends, with non-Christian friends, with people who are living in a way contrary to what God’s word instructs, in ordinary places such as the deli counter in the store or chaperoning my children’s band camp, with my children, with my husband, in the car, when people can see me, and even more importantly, when people cannot see me. Having integrity means that if I claim to belong to Christ, then that is how you will see me live.
Proverbs 28.6 says “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
What is real success? This proverb declares that success is living a life of integrity regardless of your financial status and that failure is living a “crooked” life regardless of your financial status.
Integrity is of preeminent value in the kingdom of God. Integrity makes a person wealthy irrespective of financial status. God’s way of valuing things and people is far different than that of the world.There is a “walk” … a way of life … to which the Lord calls you. It is the life for which He created you and redeemed you. Beware the twisted life of the world. Pursue the life of integrity to which the Lord calls you.
This is precisely the message in Ephesians 4.1-3: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God!” – 2 Peter 3:10–12
Dear friend, remember that everything on earth will be dissolved. All the things we gather, our big houses and earthly possessions will fade. Today, as you reflect in these verses, make waiting well and walking in integrity a priority in your life. Strive for holiness and godliness instead of earthly possessions until the Lord Jesus comes, and let your light shine bright.
Opt For Integrity.
