BECOMING A PERSON OF INTEGRITY

True Christianity and its intended purpose is nothing but to make us people of integrity. To become a man or a woman of integrity is what the whole idea of this new birth is to God. The Lord in redeeming us back to Himself is much more concerned about our Character than our reputation with those in the body of Christ and outside of His body. Men and woman of integrity are an open demonstration of God’s handy work in every generation. Besides the eternal purposes of salvation and redemption is this very work of transformation in us. The Lord is concerned about us right here, while we live among a perverse generation of lawlessness and wickedness we need to shine as light. A true transformation of identity is the basic goal of our entire journey on earth.

King David of Israel was a chosen vessel of the Lord to bring glory to His name, yet in his election of grace we should trace this character transforming work of God. He was a man whom the Lord shaped for developing a heart of genuine worship. Worship in its real sense which has a lot to do with a transformation of the heart through a long process of sanctification. Having spoken this I should add, that this is only done through trials and personal experiences with the Lord’s intended disciplines of many kinds. In King David’s life it involved many unpleasant and dramatic experiences of which the sudden death of Uzzah was the most noticeable one. This experience almost made a turning point in King David’s entire life. He understood a very hard lesson through this experience, which shaped his life and his understanding of God totally in a new and different fashion. Not to mention the greatest and hardest of all His experiences was when through his own sin Uriah’s

Death took place. These extreme difficult experiences were the pavement of his character shaping. The Lord allowed in His permissive will for these deaths to take place, because these were the only way the man of God would see his faulty understanding of God and the depravity of His sin. Elements through which God was developing a brand new identity in him. Although God’s ways are far above our own human understanding, yet in the New Covenant era He does not want us to go to these extremes in order that He could develop the character of His Son in us. However sometimes unfortunately some drastic measures might be the only option He might have to create in us a heart of integrity and Godly piety. Also I might need to add that many times our human zeal overrides God’s intended purposes in our lives, but in the lives of His elect He will eventually have the final say. Kind David In wanting to build the Lord a paneled house of cedar wood the Lord spoke to him right after when he Was celebrating his triumphant success in bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the tabernacle in the city of David. When he asked God’s messenger prophet Nathan about building God this permanent house made of cedar wood, God’s response to David was this in 1^stChronicles 17. “For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day , but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another”, and then prophet Nathan continues  speaking the word of the Lord to David in this way saying  Thus says the Lord of Hosts

“I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth.”

                                 (1 Chronicles 17:5 -8.)

Wow what an awesome respond from God. Here I believe the Lord wants to say to the king, that “I have been moving with you everywhere and have been the One who followed you in all your ways to give you richness beyond many could dream. A character of integrity and piety and have fought with all demonic hosts of darkens on your behalf, then why are you now trying in your human zeal to limit Me to a house made out of cedar wood? In another words I trust the Lord was showing David a higher way of fellowshipping with God. I believe He also was saying do not limit me in your finite mind to a God who would think in your terms in regards to His kingdom rule. Do not confine Me He says to your own understanding of me. Better to say, if I was like you dwelling in one single place, then who was going to be the Lord of Hosts who would fight for you to elevate you to the kingdom today? The Lord in other words is saying remember who you were and what I did for you and in you. The very same thing men do with God today. In our human zeal we always want to perform for Him, but He constantly says “No good thing you can do on your own strength for me”. In chapter 16 of 1^st Chronicles David just finished praising Him for His victories in his life, but soon after all those beautiful words of thanks giving; his ambitious mind is willing to perform for Him. The interesting thing here is that Nathan the prophet too first gives his own opinion to the King without consulting with the Lord first. But praise God for His sovereignty over man’s own opinion and that how the Lord broke through the carnal and pretentious words of the prophet and sparing both the prophet and the king spoke His own heart over their best human ambitions. This very thing, meaning our own best wishes for others can be the greatest error of many in this day and age. First and foremost people need to hear the Lord for them before they ask others opinions and secondly they must be willing to go to God for confirmation if they even consult a spiritual authority in all matters. Don’t you agree? Here the Lord wanted to remind David of His more important work in him, than David building Him a place to dwell. The Lord was saying “I Am the One, who has raised you up, and this is the work of My Spirit and to this I give the greatest importance, not what you in your human zeal are willing to perform for me”. The very exact thing Christians’ are doing today. Just like when I just understood His mercy and grace upon my life, I began to cry out to Him “ Lord tell me, tell me please, how should I serve you?” yes me too like the rest of us just like king David had a zeal after my conversion to serve Him and built Him a Church, But the Lord soon told me“Worship Me”. Wow what a supersizing respond. I soon said “What do you mean worship you? Isn’t serving you a way of worship? But Him being a truly merciful God placed me in His service, yet in the long term made me understand serving Him in my strength and my unrenowned  old self not only was not his will, but that very thing could one day disqualify me from the greater purpose He had for me, which was to build in me a house where righteousness would dwell. To God first and foremost is to make us humble and meek before Him in worship. In doing this He is the One who builds us an eternal place to dwell in. I allowing Him to work in my heart through grace give Him the right of ownership back to Him. He wants to build in us a personality of integrity and right standing with Him and in doing this many times we confuse His priorities with ours. Do these words mean we should not be zealous to serve Him in His kingdom? Absolutely not. But it very well exposes the intents of our hearts in doing that. Death of Uzzah for example was a premature act of servitude, why?  Because the prescribed way of service was not yet experienced by King David.

True worship embraces integrity, and integrity is made in a life time of sincere devotion and through undisturbed loyalty to God. This means it is what God could do for us and through us and not what we could do for Him in our own human depravity.

A true servants’ heart waits upon his/her master to lead him/her. A true servant’s heart rejoices in giving God the glory and not to himself. The greatest reward of a true servant is Christ Himself and not His own addenda’s fulfilled under His name.

This is why even Apostle Paul said “ I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead”. (Phil. 3:10 & 11)