Integrity

"But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife's consent, he kept the rest."  Acts 5 

It didn't seem like that big a deal. True, I lied to my mom in order to get out of going to church. But seriously, one Sunday out of 52. It wasn't like the world was going to come to an end, right? After my family left, I was there alone wondering what I was going to do. My troubled conscience simply wouldn't allow me any peace. I never felt the need to try to pull that stunt again. 

Ananias and Sapphira found out that lying was a bad idea, too, especially to God. Their desire to be seen as generous overwhelmed their desire to actually be generous. Integrity is a big deal. There must be consistency between who we say we are and how we live. Shortly after their judgement fell, the disciples' integrity was also tested. Even under the whip, they would not walk away from Jesus. 

Today, we are all making choices. Each one makes a statement about what we really believe and who we really are. Granted, there will be exceptions. But by and large, our actions reveal our true core beliefs about life, relationships, our identity, morality, the Bible, etc., and most importantly Jesus. If we are claiming to be a Jesus follower, does the testimony of our lives back it up?

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