Living in Integrity

Ezekiel 8:12

12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen
what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the
dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for
they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath
forsaken the earth.

In Ezekiel 8, God showed the prophet vivid pictures of the behavior of the leaders of both Judah and Israel, the two kingdoms that had at one time comprised the nation of Israel. It was far from a pretty picture. The leaders of Israel had begun engaging in terrible, sinful behavior, all the while convinced that God was no longer watching: "They say, 'The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.'" In other words, they were more concerned about their reputations than about their character. That's the nature of "hidden sin," isn't it? It's too easy sometimes to excuse our sin, convinced that since no one knows about it, we must be doing all right.

When we believe we can do whatever we want in private, even when it contradicts what we profess in public, we violate what God has called us to be. God wants us to commit ourselves to integrity, even when it comes to things we do when no one else is present.

Integrity has been defined as always doing the right thing, even when no one is observing. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should always remember that there is never a moment when our heavenly Father isn't watching us - and we should always do what is right.

Reference: 365 Essential Questions from the Bible
www.barbourbooks.com

The Grim Reaper Preacher says, "Try reading the Bible from cover to cover - you'll like it."