Integrity

December 14th, 2016

I Kings 9:4-5

As the third king to sit on Israel’s throne, Solomon couldn’t have been more honored than he was when God promised one of his descendants would sit on Israel’s throne forever. This promise came with a stipulation, however: Solomon must walk before God faithfully, with integrity of heart.

More than just doing the right thing, integrity is a commitment to behaving in an honest and upright way even when there’s no possibility anyone will ever know if you do wrong. People with integrity don’t cut corners or fudge the truth just because they know they can get by with it.

Jesus was the perfect example of integrity. The Bible says He was tempted in every way we are, yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). When we partake of the nature of Christ, we too should take on a lifestyle of integrity.

Sadly, though Solomon started strong, he allowed compromise to breach integrity toward the end of his life, and after his death, his kingdom fell into disarray.

Pray: I want my heart and motives to be pure in your sight, Lord. Forgive me for the times I’ve been less than honest or cut corners because I thought I could get by without anyone knowing. Help me to base my actions on my relationship with You.