Test your testimony

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"Test your testimony" By Diane Webb

Psalms 25: 21—"Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee".

David often speaks in term of protection from God. He uses battle, armor, and soldier imagery regularly. In today's verse, he does not use any military equipment by way of illustrating God's protection over us. Instead, he simply says he will be preserved by integrity and uprightness because his hope is in God. Who would think of integrity and uprightness in terms of protecting yourself? Integrity is keeping in line with your moral and ethical values. Acting with integrity is being true to your word and true to Biblical principles. A lack of integrity can open the door to harm and downfall—for yourself or whoever is watching you. Have you ever stopped doing business with a company or person after seeing signs of dishonesty? Do you trust someone whose words do not match up with their actions? Integrity is when your outside demonstrates strong values on the inside. Your actions do show what you really believe on the inside. So many people demonstrate the opposite of what they say they believe. This erodes trust of others and blemishes the Christian faith you stand for. We are all ambassadors for Christ. An off-color joke sends a bigger message than wearing a cross on your lapel. Talking unkindly about another person is your testimony whether you mean it to be or not. There once were two ordained ministers who were part time pastors and worked full time in the secular world. They were good friends outside of work and used their positions at work for personal gain. For the sake of illustration we will call one Darrel and the other Bobby. Bobby's supervisor, Denise, was supervised by Darrell. Bobby had classes at seminary out of town two or three times each week. In order to get paid mileage for his trips to seminary, he arranged to see clients of the organization on the same days he had classes. The only problem with this arrangement is that the clients, based on company policy, were only suppose to be seen twice per month—not twice per week. Denise refused to sign the travel forms. Of course, her supervisor, Darrel, signed them for Bobby because he had agreed with Bobby's plan the whole time. Eventually Denise left the organization completely due to the lack of integrity by her supervisor, Darrel, in regards to the young pastor, Bobby. What type of example were these two ministers setting for others? Did it make Denise want to attend either of their churches? What did it say about the two denominations they represented? What if Denise had not been a Christian? Would she have wanted to be a Christian based on the example of the two pastors working in her organization? This illustration is glaring because it involves ordained ministers. However, we are all representatives as Christ and as such are held to the same standard as pastors in many respects. We need to be acutely aware of how our words and actions represent our faith. Any act that demonstrates the opposite of the Christian values you say you ascribe to can prevent another person from accepting Christ. What would the consequences be for such a thing? Always strive to keep your actions in line with Biblical principles. You are never "off duty" from being a Christian. Stay true to your Christian beliefs and let this show in everything you say and do. Ask yourself--"if I did not tell people I was a Christian, did not wear a cross, did not carry my Bible in public, or give any other indication of my faith except in how I treat others and maintain my integrity, would it be clear to others I follow Christ"? Remember, you may be the only gospel someone else reads.

Dear heavenly Father, help me today, Lord, to be a good witness for Christ. I pray everything I say, think, and do will be a testimony for my faith. Oh God, please never let me be a stumbling block to others. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.