When your integrity is questioned, how does it make you feel?
I’ll give you several seconds to process and gather your thoughts.
For me, my pride is severely hurt. Hurt even more when you’ve seen or heard of others doing the same thing. With that being said, I am reminded by a question I pose to students on a weekly basis. If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?
Now I ponder: right vs. wrong
moral vs. immoral
lie vs. truth
How does he feel when we question him? How does he feel when we disobey him and EVERYTHING he commands of us? Is his pride hurt? Sure. Is he disappointed? Sure.
However, he continually extends grace and forgiveness.
GOD IS LOVE. Everything he does flows from His love. When he grants grace, it is rooted and flows from his love. It is by his grace that he extends mercy, forgiveness, favor, blessings, and kindness.
This all leads me to think about literally EVERYTHING God created.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” –Genesis 1:31
God has ordained that we must CHOOSE to love, serve and obey our Creator. In the beginning, God desired that Adam and Eve choose His way, which would lead to eternal life, as symbolized by the Tree of Life. But God did not force them to choose to serve and obey Him, nor did He restrict their choice, otherwise free moral agency would not exist.
Enter the story of Adam and Eve….
Adam and Eve have 2 choices:
1) God’s way of life, as symbolized by the Tree of Life, resulting in eternal life.
OR
2) Their, Adam and Eve’s, own way of life, as symbolized by the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil- cut off from God, removed from His grace, under the sway of Satan- resulting in eternal death.
We ALWAYS have a choice: His way or our way.
Back to the very beginning of this blog… We have 2 choices when our integrity is questioned.
1) Extend grace and forgiveness, just as he would.
OR
2) Harbor bitterness and ill feelings toward the situation.
Am I going to be obedient in my faith or obedient in my flesh?
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. -Genesis 1:27
Every one who is personally and individually called by God must CHOOSE to serve Him and walk in His way. God will never FORCE anyone to love and obey Him. We must FREELY CHOOSE to love and obey God with our whole hearts and minds.
