Trust and Integrity

"Until I die, I will not deny my integrity." Those words were spoken by the 'great sufferer', Job. Does this quote suggest Job thought he was sinless, without fault? If we look at the rest of the book of Job, we read what he believes about God, which makes it apparent he couldn't have thought he was without sin. Yet he won't deny his integrity...

Can a person be full of integrity and promote that quality in front of others, yet sin?

I think it's no different than Paul, who boasted of his weakness. Job and Paul both seem to understand the sovereignty of God, and how being immersed in Him is what brings true strength... strength of character... integrity.

I've heard it said, "trust everyone, just don't trust the devil in them." None of us are perfect because of the sin living in us. So we're warned to test the spirits. Test whether a person has trusted Christ with their imperfections so His power is shown. Test whether a person is actually following Him or giving Him lip service (not all who call on His name will be saved). Test whether a person has gone the other direction and wishes to live in their sinful nature.

If a person isn't fully devoted to following Christ, how can you trust them? Trust is defined as "putting confidence in the good qualities of someone". If we're born evil and full of sinful desires, the only good you in a person you can put confidence in is what God has replaced.

So if I want to be able to speak confidently like Job and Paul, if I want to be truly trustworthy, I need to replace all the bad in me... daily... with Him. If I'm not doing that out of full devotion to Him, I'm not trustworthy as I give sin and the devil a chance to grow.

Some days are better than others, but my focus is to find God throughout my day, everyday. Until I die, I too will not deny my integrity... because He has saved me from my evil, selfish desires, and there's nothing left for me in that life. I know I can be trusted because His good lives in me, and that type of perfect good can easily be trusted.

"He must become greater. I must become less." (John 3:30)