03/02/T – Integrity

OT: “Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the Lord his God. He was diligent in every deed that he began in the service of God’s temple, in the instruction and the commands, in order to seek his God, and he prospered.” (‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭31:20-21‬ ‭CSB)

2 Chronicles 29-31 detailed the reforms of King Hezekiah. His father, King Ahaz, was completely godless and led the entire nation of Judah into idolatry. Hezekiah became king at the age of 25 and from day one, began leading Judah and Israel through a time of restoration, reformation and revival. He reopened and cleansed the temple, he restored the worship of God, he reinstated the Passover feast, led the people of Judah and regions of Israel to remove all forms of idol worship, and recommissioned the Levites and Priests of God. These last two verses at the end of chapter 31 summarize everything that Hezekiah did by saying that he did everything with diligence and uprightness, paying special attention to Lord’s commands, in order to seek God: in order that Hezekiah could seek God and that the nation he led could seek God. Integrity is defined as firm adherence to a code of moral values and the state of being complete or undivided. That word describes Hezekiah. He held firm to the Lord’s values and was undivided in his desire to honor and seek his God. Because of Hezekiah’s integrity, God prospered him in everything that he did.

NT: “Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God. For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me by word and deed for the obedience of the Gentiles, by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation,” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:17-20‬ ‭CSB)

The Apostle Paul was also a man of integrity. He would not allow himself to boast in any of his accomplishments, but would only boast in what Christ accomplished through him. He did not take credit for any of the powerful signs, wonders and miracles that were performed through Him, and made sure that all the glory from his ministry went to the Lord. Paul was an accomplished man in his own right, but he would later say that all those accomplishments were garbage compared to the glory that God worked in him and through him through faith in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result of his integrity, he was able to fully proclaim the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Illyrium (a Roman province northwest of Greece), and was looking for more places to preach where the gospel had not yet been proclaimed and Christ was not yet known. Because of Paul’s integrity and his unwavering faith in Christ, God prospered him in everything that he did.

Psalms: “Guard me and rescue me; do not let me be disgraced, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and what is right watch over me, for I wait for you.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:20-21‬ ‭CSB)

A repetitive theme throughout Psalm 25 was that David did not want to be disgraced. For if he was disgraced, he would risk bringing disgrace on the name of the Lord God. So throughout the psalm, David committed his trust to the Lord. He asked the Lord to lead him and teach him and to forgive him of any sins he may have committed. David said that in order to stay above reproach, he would ever keep his eyes on the Lord and be undivided in his pursuit of the Lord’s will and ways. To summarize his prayer, he said, “May integrity and what is right watch over (guard, preserve) me, for I wait for You.” Integrity protects us from disgrace – and Biblical integrity begins with a fear of the Lord, a firm adherence to His word and an undivided pursuit of His will and ways.

Prayer: Lord, I desire to be a person of integrity. I desire to be a person that you are able to prosper and do exploits through – not for my own recognition, but for Your glory and fame. As I place my faith fully on You, work in me to will and do Your good pleasure as Your Holy Spirit leads me and empowers me to walk in integrity.