Integrity, A Real Test To Christian Stewardship
On one sunny afternoon, a servant and
his master went for a fishing expedition at a nearby river. The quest to embark
on this fishing expedition became necessary when all attempts made to get food
for supper had failed. Nevertheless, the guidelines that came with their license
to fish made it clear that they could only do so after 4.00 pm. They proceeded
to the river for the harvest.
While there, they waited patiently
for hours but still couldn’t sight any fish in the water. Suddenly, the boy
felt a tug on his line and cried out for help. “Daddy, please help me!” he
exclaimed. His father drew closer and realized the line has caught a big fish.
The boy was very excited; “we will have supper today!” But his father replied,
“Son, it is not yet time. Remember we can only do so after 4.00pm and is now
3.55pm. I’m sorry we can’t keep the fish.” He therefore released the fish back
into the water.
This is an example of a father‘s
commitment to integrity. Integrity refers to wholeness, the quality or state of
being having sound moral principles, uprightness, honesty and sincerity. It is
the consistency of character that matches words and actions, vision, choices,
values and behaviour.
Join me in examining four key areas
of exercising absolute integrity.
With scriptural references to Psalm 78:8, God remarked with painful emotional words about Israel being a stubborn and rebellious generation. This generation soon forgets all the good tidings of God after delivering them from slavery in Egypt. They forgot the enablement of God in providing them with manna, water from a rock and His protection in crossing the Red Sea. However, anytime they were faced with hardships, they began to grumble and vent their anger towards Moses saying that they preferred death in Egypt than death in the wilderness. Clearly, they were not loyal to God and didn’t trust in His abilities. God puts great emphasis on a loyal heart. It is important to note that a Christian’s loyalty must not be controlled by opportunities.
In 1 Samuel 13:14, God rejected Saul
as king over Israel, because of his unfaithfulness and rather set David on the
throne. No wonder the Bible describes David as a man after God’s own heart
because of his loyalty. God always seek for people whose hearts are loyal to
Him. Be loyal to Him and receive His blessings.
INTEGRITY
IN FINANCES
The use of money is another critical
area that can be used to measure one’s level of integrity. Assuming you count
your money several times after collecting it from a teller at the bank, and you
realized that you were overpaid, what will you do with the excess? Your answer
is a measure of your financial integrity.
As stewards, we need to uphold a high
level of integrity in handling God’s money. You can fast, pray, praise the Lord
or appear to be very godly in the sight of men, but unless you conduct yourself
with absolute honesty and integrity in your finance, you cannot receive the
spiritual blessings of God.
INTEGRITY
IN YOUR WORK
What time do you report at your work
place as a Christian? Do you wait till the sun rises before you even think
about getting up? When do you report to church? We must always be committed to
the work of the kingdom, considering how gracious God has been to us in calling
us into His fold. As a Christian leader, do you spend enough time to pray and
prepare your sermon? Do you seek God’s anointing and understanding or just
focus on old tales?
If the qualification for those
serving on the widows table according to Acts 6:3 was the in-filling of the
Holy Spirit, then you must be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit so as to
bring to bear the manifestation of God’s power through your ministrations.
There should be seriousness in your integrity, especially when no one is
watching or questioning you. God sees you when you remain faithful. From Col.
3:23-24, Paul admonishes that “Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord
and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the
inheritance; for you serve the Lord Jesus Christ.”
INTEGRITY
IN YOUR SPEECH
Words are very powerful and, as Christians,
we need to be careful about what comes out of our mouth. This is because we can
cause great harm with what we speak forth. In Prov. 18:21, the Bible states
clearly that, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who
love it will eat its fruit”. It therefore becomes crucial that as stewards of
God with integrity, we pay particular attention to what we say and listen to
because words are powerful.
Gossiping and maligning others can
cause great amount of harm. Gossiping opens doors to the devil’s schemes which
even have the potential of inviting demons. It can ruin lives, assassinate
reputations, split families, alienate friends and destroy businesses. On the
other hand, a gossip-free environment leads to peaceful lives, healthier
relationships and overall prosperity.
James supports this assertion in his
caution to believers to control what comes out of their mouth in his words: “anyone
who considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his
tongue deceives himself and his religious is worthless”. (James 1:26)
As stewards of God with integrity, speak
no evil and edit your speech before you speak.
Brethren, in conclusion, let us be
true stewards with integrity in our generation making the most of each
opportunity that the good Lord has given to us. Let’s remember, that integrity
is the basis of one’s success in stewardship. Be an honest child of God
requires discipline to stay faithful to others, finance, work and speech. May
you easily be identified as a man or woman of integrity wherever you go.
Article by Elder Samuel Danso
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