Psalms 15:1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. ...... "He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. ..... He that doeth these things shall never be moved".
These passages of scripture speak to us of living in integrity, a vital characteristic to any Christian who desires to be with the Lord. A Christian's word must carry weight, in that it can be depended on, not being changed by every circumstance or feeling that arises to the contrary. As Christians, we should always bear in mind that in our interactions with our fellowmen, we are the only Jesus many people will ever see, and therefore the conclusions they draw about Christ are directly linked to our behavioral patterns and consequent actions.
Agreements made between ourselves and God, and between ourselves and our fellowmen should be held sacred, and should be fulfilled even though at times we may have to suffer great inconvenience in doing so. Hindrances or negative circumstances should not be an excuse for violating one's word, for if we were to form the habit of doing so, we will then become the sport of circumstances.
When as church members we agree to serve in an office for a stipulated period of time, we should fulfill our vows, even if we run into serious obstacles or determined resistance from other believers, for we should understand that anything that is worth doing, will be opposed by the enemy of all righteousness. After Moses agreed to serve as the visible leader of the Hebrews, he ran into such stiff opposition at times, that on several occasions his very life was threatened. Let's read:
Exodus 17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
Even though his life was in grave danger, yet Moses did not walk away from his commitment to serve, and because of the steadfastness manifested throughout his career, he is referred to in the Bible as being faithful, a characteristic that reflects on Jesus Christ. Let's read:
Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
And so it is, that the way we deal with God is the way that we will deal with our fellowmen, and if commitments made to God are not fulfilled with integrity, neither will those agreements that are made with others. In cases where we are literally not able to honor our vows, we should seek as far as possible to have them fulfilled to the best of our ability, and we should always remember that grace is promised to help us in times of need.
We therefore end with a passage so scripture which reminds us that we are being observed from day to day, and as such we should live soberly and righteously in this present world. Let's read:
Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His every word. God bless!