I had an experience yesterday that reminded me of the importance of personal integrity in our words. I have some rental property that I am seeking to obtain a lease on and I am advertising it in a local paper. People call for appointments to see the property and I set up a time for us to meet. Well, today, three out of three appointments were no shows! No calls, they just did not keep the appointment!
As believers, we must set the example for personal integrity! It’s one thing to have extenuating circumstances prohibit your keeping your word. That happens to all of us at times. But it’s another thing entirely to just shrug it off with no call or explanation!
Be a person of your word. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it! My Dad is a person of high integrity and he taught me as a boy the great value of keeping my word, to others, to myself, and to God!
One of the personal elements to developing strong faith is to be true to your own words. Saying things and then not carrying through with them breeds distrust within you. If you can’t believe what comes out of your own mouth, how can you develop a strong faith in what God says to you in the Word?
Notice Psalm 15: 1-4: Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change.
To develop a close relationship with the Lord and a strong faith life we must speak the truth in our heart, and we must swear to our own hurt! That means we must keep our word even when it’s not convenient and when it may cost us to keep it.
Don’t hinder your own faith by saying something and then not following through. Begin today to be a person whose word can be trusted. Do what you say, even if it hurts! Remember, faith in you’re your own word creates a breeding ground within you for strong faith in God’s Word!
Pastor Mitch,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you whole heartedly. I have a friend who is a Christian who has a hard time hiring a Christian plumber, or repair man because he has been burned too many times someone lacking in integrity. I teach my family Matthew 5:37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Also someone once shared with me that a preacher once preached that if you are late to an appointment (without good cause) you are stealing from the person you are late to meet. That time that they wait, they can never get back.
Dave
i'm not keeping my appointment with you today. but, i did tell anne yesterday... so i'm not completely convicted by your blog. things are good and i'm also getting a lot about "purity" matt 5:8, 1 tim 3:9, 1 john 3:3
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