It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day two in the ninth week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Judged By Integrity

“Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high; let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.“
Psalm 7:7-8 (NIV)

Would you want to be judged by your current level of integrity?  Why?  How does judging a person according to their integrity, rather than on hearsay, help you serve them more effectively?  How does a reputation of integrity, or lack of it, affect how those you serve judge you?  How effective is your serving likely to be if people judge you as having a lack of integrity?  How will you make your actions match your words as you serve today?

Years ago I worked on a commercial roofing crew with a group of guys that were not walking in fellowship with God, to say the least.  It’s not that they were bad guys, they were simply living to please self with no regard for God.  Eventually one of them told me that I was the first Christian who actually lived what I said.  They said that everyone else they had encountered eventually joined them in activities previously proclaimed as wrong.  Instead of judging Christians by their integrity, they had judged all Christians by the lack of integrity they had observed.

As you pray, ask God to help  you live in such a way that being judged according to your integrity would be a good thing.

In prayer,

Tom