INTEGRITY

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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In Mathew 5:37, Jesus Christ tells his followers, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

In addition to swearing off the need to swear on anything to prove the veracity of your word in the eyes of others, Jesus was also calling his people to be people of integrity. From a biblical perspective, integrity means doing all things in your life in the presence of God. 

If you are given a responsibility, you do your utmost to fulfill what was given to you. You do this work well, not to win the admiration of others but so that you can give the work of the day to the Lord as an act of worship. 

That is integrity. 

Ezra

In the passage that follows, we find one of the greatest stories about integrity and accountability to be found anywhere. This comes to us from the message of the Old Testament book of Ezra: 

28 I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the LORD. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your ancestors. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” 30 Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days. 

33 On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

(Ezra 8:28-34 NIV11)

Consecrated

In verse 28, we hear that a great amount of earthly treasure was placed under the watch of a large number of individual priests and Levites. Due to security concerns, this massive amount of wealth had to be broken up and carried into Jerusalem covertly. 

The Priest and Prophet, Ezra, entrusted all of the exiled nation’s wealth into the hands of this large group of people because he believed they would act with integrity. He made sure that everyone involved understood that they were now personally consecrated as the Lord’s possession. 

Their very lives were in the hands of God, and all that they did as they traveled with the Lord’s treasure was being done in the sight of God. 

Example

This is a great example of what it looks like to be a people of integrity. 

What you do when no one else is watching, when you are free to act without being observed, this speaks to your true nature and to your heart. As followers of Christ, we too should live as those who have been consecrated to the Lord, set apart, made holy by the call and work of Christ. 

We too live our daily lives in full view of the Lord and this should be a significant source of motivation to want to handle all that is before us with care. 

Accountable

In verse 34, we hear that after the long and harrowing journey of faith that brought all of God’s people and the treasure of the Temple into Jerusalem, the once-divided treasure was weighed and found to be completely intact. 

I love how the integrity of this consecrated people was summarized as follows: “Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.”

These people knew they walked before the Lord and that they were accountable to the Lord. I too want to live such a life of faithfulness and integrity. I want my private and public life to be of the same accountable nature.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, help me know that I am walking with you today. All of my words, my attitudes, actions, and intentions are consecrated unto you and I desire to bring you glory today with all that I am and all that I do. Where I fall short, I seek your Spirit-led counsel and correction. Thank you Lord. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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