Integrity- People of God

Jesus was sent by God His Father with a Divine purpose, to give His life that others may be saved. When we look at the life of Jesus we see the example that is set before us as followers of Christ. This same Divine purpose and assignment has beengiven to every true believer in Christ, to die to self, lay down their pride and to give their life that others may live and have eternal life.

John 20:21-22 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

We must change the way we think about suffering and sacrifice for the gospel’s sake. When we look at the life of Christ and of those who walked closely with God we see the same pattern of self-sacrifice for the betterment and the greater good of others.And also, for the glory of God being magnified not only on earth but in the heavens and in the spirit realm.

Jesus was despised and rejected by the people He came to save. Jesus carried our griefs and sorrows, he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities and He was chastised of men so that we could have peace in this life. 

Isaiah 53:3-5 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 

We must adjust the way we view and measure success. We have to recalibrate our thinking and the way we view life, by resetting our goals and what we call success, which is most often the world’s way of measuring success. This is because this fallen world’s images stay before our eyes in every form of media. 

We are to set the life of Christ before us, let our eyes be open to His light, that the truth of His word must be the plumb line or the measure of our success and upward growth. God gave the prophet Amos the picture of the plumb line as a symbol of the standard of which God has for His people. This represents the requirement for those who are faithful to His word and as a way to measure or gauge their faithfulness to His divine calling.  

Amos 7: 7-8 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand.  And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said: ‘Behold I am setting a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. 

At every turn we are being fed a steady diet of covetousness, materialism, greed and narcissism, which is shown to us in every outlet of media and social media, written or electronically. The enemy wants our eyes and minds fixed on the things and the corruptions of this world, so that we do not have time to read and meditate the truth of God’s word. 

Psalms 101:3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. NKJ

We wonder why our children and families are so self-centered and narcissistic. It is what they are seeing and being taught subliminally, without them knowing it, through all the noise, voices and distractions the world is sending out. It is in every toy and cereal commercial, in every clothes and shoe commercial or ad. This fallen world is telling us and our children that we need these material things to be happy, to be accepted or to have worth.  

Psalms 4:20-24 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my saying. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. 

As the Father has sent Jesus, so Jesus has sent us. We are toldto die to self as a kernel of grain dies when it is sown into the soil that it may produce a greater harvest. It is when we die to our selfish concerns that our lives are being planted by God, into the lives of others that they too may receive eternal life. Just as Jesus did for us. This is a hard saying, and not many can take it. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit and the will of every follower of Christ to accept this truth from God and pray to God to give them the will and the power to do His great work.

John 12:24-26 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

We are told not to be weary, disenchanted or fed up withdoing well, because in doing good and helping others, we will be rewarded. We rewarded if we do not become faint hearted and give up before we accomplish the assignment God has given us. We may get tired, exhausted and drained as we serve and engage the hurt and wounded, the oppressed and marginal but we are to come to God, our Source so that He may restore and refresh us.

We are not to get disillusioned or jaded with doing good to those who may not appreciate us, or to those who may not be lovely in their response to us. Because God will reward us if we do not faint or do not give up. Let the Lord be our Shepherd the one who feeds us and restores and refreshes our soul.

Galatians 6:9-10 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

That same Jesus who was despised and rejected by men, is still being rejected. It is the life of Jesus that lives in us that thisworld also hates and rejects. It is the resemblance and reflection of God’s glory that is upon us that is being attacked by Satan, who has set himself up as God’s enemy. Satan reviles, hates and scorns all humanity because there are created in the image of God, and as the people of God we are to reflect and reveal God’s glory on the earth.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Just as Jesus laid down His life without murmuring or complaining, so are we to be the example before this crooked and perverse world. We are to let the light of Christ shine through us and not allow our own selfish concerns to take priority. We can do this by holding fast to what the word of God tells us, so that we will rejoice with Christ and our labor will not be in vain.

Philippians 2:17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all

John 20:21-22 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

The life of every true follower of Christ is one that must die to self-service and be poured out for His service. We will rejoice when we see the souls of those whose lives we sowed into, living with Christ for eternity. 

This can only be done when we have received the Holy Spirit of God living in us and through us. We are called to be broken bread and poured out wine for those around us.