Titus 1:7,8: "For a overseer must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;..."
Just recently we heard about a side of Y2K that may effect us more than the original concerns. Seems that individuals with the ability to fix computers may have been hired by major banks and other companies but were not checked out to see if they had criminal minds! CNN reported a concern that some computer programmers might have fixed the computers in such a way that on January 1st, they will deposit "mucho"dollars into their private accounts. No way to stop it now...unless they go through the entire system again to look for the defects!
Meditate on this!
Even if the above concern doesn't come to be, it sends us a clear message. We need to consider character over charisma or even credentials. This is especially true of ministry. You may have a platform of leadership. You may want to minister at your office or home - but can God trust your character? He is in the process of conforming us to His son. Where does He need to work with you?
Matthew 5:37: "Simply let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
Ouch! This really digs deep in the area of integrity, honesty, and even obedience. There are times this is a real struggle as we think through issues of life in which God has asked us to be totally above reproach. Accountability to another man or woman is always tough, but when God looks right at us and says, "Be honest, be a man of your word," it makes it much tougher. It really puts the pressure on at times, doesn't it? Those things "done in secret" are many times the downfall of the believer. On the outside things look good, but there are two or three "cracks" that eventually God can't honor because they don't honor Him. According to I Samuel 16:7, we know that the Lord looks at the heart.
Meditate On This!
Let me go through a "grocery list" of things I need to meditate on and ask you to do the same.
- Promises made - If we tell people something, are we doing it and following through?
- Borrowing things - Sometime ago I borrowed a sprayer for my lawn from a friend. As I read through this verse, I realized that I had not returned it, even though I told them I would.
- Following policies - Although the verses prior to this tell us never to take a vow, there are times when there are policies that we have agreed to be a part of by our position. For me, I have to look at reports that have been set before me. Am I being complete and accurate in everything I am doing?
- Taxes - Have I, or do I, willingly cheat the government in any way?
- Prayer - Am I saying I will pray for something for others, and yet I am not doing it?
- Giving - Am I cheating God? Remember Ananias and Sapphira?
This goes back to loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. It works its way out, not just in our quiet times, but in the things that we do - or don't do. May the Holy Spirit give us each guidance as we meditate on areas of our lives and ask God Himself to make the corrections needed.
"I know my God that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity." I Chronicles 29:17
"May integrity and uprightness protect me because my hope is on You." Psalm 25:21
"In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever." Psalm 41:12
"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out." Proverbs 10:9
"Confident of your obedience, I write to you knowing that you will do even more than I ask." Philemon 1:21
