Integrity 101

adminUncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture

I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.

~Psalm 101:2, NASB

Quote

Our contemporary culture is proficient at producing corrupt people who are skilled at lying, falsifying, distorting and covering the truth.

~Stephen Lawson

Evolution, global warming [climate change], the right to privacy: what do these things have in common? They are all lies. Evolution is the hoax of the ages. In this present hour, we cannot trust the news media at all and we have very little faith in Congress which is saturated with politicians who have little or no integrity. They take bribes and kickbacks for big corporations and yet pretend to be serving us when all the while they are serving themselves. The swamp needs draining, the toilet needs flushed and my fear is that Trump want be able to get his hands on the handle. I said before and I say again, “If you could run the parasites out of Washington D.C., there would not be enough people left to open the doors and cut on the lights.” Psalm 101 is about integrity in leadership. It was written by David when he was in Hebron. It is David’s solemn promise to be a good leader. Note the “I wills” in this Psalm:

  1. I will sing praises to You O LORD.
  2. I will study {give heed} to the way that is blameless.
  3. I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
  4. I will  set no worthless thing {vile or vulgar} before my eyes.
  5. I will have nothing to do with evil. 
  6. I will reject crooked or perverse ideas.
  7. I will not tolerate slanders.
  8. I will not endure conceited, arrogant and proud people. 
  9. I will search for faithful people {people of integrity} to minister to me.
  10. I will not allow liars in my presence. 
I know what you are thinking: It’s a good list, to bad David did not put it to practice. I think David was sincere: he sat a very high standard for himself and there is no sin in having worthy goals. You have to admit, it would take a perfect or very near perfect person to live up to this standard. Have you or I shunned all forms of evil? Have we always refused to look upon the vile and vulgar? I am not innocent at this point. I have a similar goal to David’s; I want to be a man of integrity. I want my life to be marked by honesty, sincerity, and incorruptibility. I do not want to be a hypocrite. I do not want to practice duplicity. I want my life to be consistent with my convictions. I want people to know one Jack, not two. I want the Jack of Sunday to be the same as the Jack on Monday. Have I done hypocritical things, have I done things inconsistent with my convictions? Sure, just like David, I have failed many times. David had one big blow out, I’ve had a bunch of punctures and flat tires. I know I have despised him many times for sleeping with Bathsheba. A part of this critical attitude is my bias.  Abigail has always been my favorite. She was beautiful and smart, what else could a man want! Bathsheba was a conniving female who wanted her son to be king. One thing is certain, God used David. His Psalms are amazing and they bless me as they have millions of others. The bottom line: I praise God for the worthy goals David sat and I praise God for using him in such a mighty way. I am not offended that David is the poster child for GRACE in the Old Testament.
[words below]
I am covered by your blood, I’m known by You and loved, With nothing left to prove or hide
By your grace I am redeemed and my identity is knowing that I am your child; I am grateful to be called your child.

[Chorus]
O what a gift You gave, O what a price You paid
More than I deserve, More than I deserve
Your constant faithfulness, Your every promise is
More than I deserve, More than I deserve

You are generous and kind, Your presence satisfies, Calming every hidden fear, What a selfless sacrifice
The love that gave me life O Lamb of God, You brought me here.

[Chorus]

[Bridge]

More than all, More than all the riches of this world
More than all, More than all the treasure I could hold
[Verse 3]
For no eye has ever seen, No ear has ever heard.
The glory that will be revealed, Every tear is wiped away
No sorrow will remain, The kingdoms of the earth will kneel
For the kingdom of our God is here
[Chorus]

  • Chief Wahoo bit the dust last night: we lost 4-3 to Kansas City. Hey, it was an enjoyable ride. With all that is going on, I could not be too disappointed. It had to end sometime.
  • Today is Ralph Glenn’s birthday. Don’t know his age but he is over 65.
  • LORD willing, I will have biscuits and donuts there in the morning between 8:00-9:00. I will be teaching LCBS and then going to Lebanon. Bro. Randy and family are on vacation in Seattle Washington. It’s a great place to go: from there you can catch the ferry to Victoria, Canada which my friend Jerry Newby says is the most beautiful city in the world.
  • Pray for me as I lead a Revival at Mt. Zion next week: Sept. 24-27.
  • I booked my first dates for October yesterday. I will be preaching at my favorite place on October 15, The Danville Baptist Church. Joe David will be in Guatemala.
  • I went to see Rickey Garner last night: he was smiling and talked to me a little. Pray for the Garner family.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *