April 13
April 13
Psalm 41:1–13
How Is Your Character?
When was the last time you heard a preacher or Sunday school teacher talk about integrity? I hope it’s been recently, because integrity is an important part of the Christian life. To have integrity means to have character. Integrity is the opposite of duplicity. A person who practices duplicity is a hypocrite, a pretender. Integrity means to have one heart and one mind and to serve one master. It means not being divided, not always changing.
David wrote, “As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever” (v. 12). God knows us by our character, whereas people judge us by our conduct. When we become more worried about conduct than about character, our conduct starts to go down the wrong road. Conduct and reputation are closely related, but neither one guarantees good character. For example, the Pharisees had a great reputation, but their character was evil. God sees us. He knows all about us, and He says, “Put Me first in your life.”
Not only does God see us, but we also see Him. “Set me before Your face forever” (v. 12). That is what gives us integrity: knowing that we’re walking, living, thinking, and speaking before the face of God. When we fear Him, we don’t have to fear anything else. And when we walk in integrity and honesty, when we flee duplicity and hypocrisy, we can face anything. David was able to face all his foes because he had integrity. He prayed, “Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Ps. 86:11). Integrity unites, so it helps us put our lives together.
Today, let’s walk in integrity before the face of God.
Don’t be so concerned with your reputation and conduct that you fail to look after your character, because you cannot hide that from God. How is your character? Are you unified—do you have one heart and one mind to serve one Master?