“The integrity of the upright will guide them” Proverbs 11:3
As I have mentioned before, my Papaw Mabrey was a tremendous influence on my life. Papaw was a Christian who truly lived publicly and privately the Christian values he held deep within His heart. And, if I were to boil everything down, next to His being a Christian grandfather, Papaw’s integrity: his honesty, truthfulness, sincerity, trustworthiness, and his desire not to be corrupted by his culture, was his most influential and lasting gift he left behind for me to capture and to cultivate with the Lord’s help.
I agree with the singer of many years ago who sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love…” adding, that Christ’s love and transformation of the soul is what our world truly needs. But, as a reflection of Christ’s love and light in our world, what the world needs now, is for we Christians to be people of integrity!
My grandfather never told dirty jokes. He would accept the wrong order at a restaurant and not make a scene by saying to those around him at the table, “That’s alright, I can learn to like this just fine.” He was always a man of his word, told the truth, and he always put others before himself. When he retired as a U.S. rural mail carrier in Boaz, Alabama, all his co-workers would attest to his being a worker and a friend characterized by integrity. But here’s where the rubber meets the road; if you were to have asked my Mamaw Mabrey about my Papaw’s private life, she would have verified him to be the husband, son, and grandfather everyone thought him to be publicly.
Christian, it is in the private recesses of the heart and in our time alone with God that our integrity is nurtured for the public marketplace where people are watching us. And that’s okay because that’s where authentic authenticity for the Lord speaks volumes! Solomon writes, “He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out” Proverbs 10:9. How true this is.
Was my grandfather, are we, perfect? Of course not! But God has called His children to be conformed daily to the image of His Son who, in turn, reflects His Father’s character. In all the different worlds of your life, are you exhibiting the character of Christ or self? Is there any area where you have laxed on your integrity? God to God and confess this to Him and then, move forward cleansed and empowered as a man or woman of renewed integrity!
Let us be men and women of integrity and let us pass this legacy on to others!
Pastor Louie
Sand Mountain Sermonette 64
Psalm 69:9 (a); John 2:16-18
The Day I Thought I was Babe Ruth!
“For zeal for Thy house has consumed me…” David, Psalm 69:9 (a)
“…and to those who were selling the doves He (Jesus) said, ‘Take these things away; stop making my Father’s house a house of merchandise. His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘ZEAL FOR THY HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.’” Jesus, John 2:16-18.
I will never forget the afternoon I hit my first (of two career) homeruns while playing Little League baseball. It was a beautiful day at the Little League baseball field in Albertville, Alabama. My dad, Skeeter Mabrey, was coach and I played for a team called the Civitans. I stepped up to the plate, and minus pointing my bat toward center field as Babe Ruth of old was noted for, I swung, connected to the ball, and headed toward first base as I saw my ball just clear the center field fence for a home run! But a very excited grandfather Mabrey surprised me with something that would rival my receiving that same ball from the umpire after the game.
The minute the ball appeared to be heading for a home run, my grandfather, who was standing near an old metal drum trashcan located by the concession stand, picked a stick up off the ground and began to bang that drum and yell to the top of his lungs, “That’s my boy!” “That’s my boy!” “Yahoo!” as I rounded the bases and crossed home plate.
David had a fiery passion that burned deep within his soul to be in the Lord’s house and to commune with God, whether times were good or bad in his life. In John Two, we find Jesus confronting the corrupt money changers and the sellers of animals for profit to the innocent and unsuspecting folks who would be offering sacrifices unto the Lord at the outer courts of the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus with righteous anger in His heart and a “scourge of cords” in His hand, drove these people who had turned God’s house that was supposed to be a house of prayer and worship into a noisy market, out into the streets!
Sometimes we can be zealous for the wrong things; misplaced things in and outside of God’s house that draw us away from what’s most important: passionate authentic prayer, and love for the word of God which draw us to the heart of God Himself! My grandfather’s reaction was not misplaced the day he zealously struck the can when I hit my first homerun; the driving force being His love for me and the joy he had as being my grandfather. Nor was Jesus’ fervor for His Father’s house and His Father’s people misplaced when he drove out the dishonest moneychangers and sellers of animals.
What drives your passion? Are you zealous-passionate-on fire for God? If not, do you desire to be? Invite the Holy Spirit to renew your heart with a love for Christ and for things He’s passionate for. Invite Him to clear out all deception and rivalry to the intimacy God desires in your relationship with Him.
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery (bondage). You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Exodus 20:2-3
There was a family living in my hometown when I was growing up that was to be commended! The father owned and operated a big feed store, the mom was very sweet and kind, and their three sons were excellent football players. As a matter of fact, John, the older son, would play for the New England Patriots and the middle son, “Charlie,” would play pro for Tampa Bay. And I had the privilege of playing Pee Wee football with both Charlie and the youngest son, David. And boy oh boy, could they put you on the ground! But perhaps the neatest thing was their father, “Big Herb,” who played professional football for Chicago back in the day.
I will never forget the night our Pee Wee team was playing at our regular field in Albertville, Alabama, and I was playing as a defensive lineman. The other team had possession of the ball and their running back was pinned next to the sideline by one of our defensive linemen who had fallen on the ground attempting to stop him but had only managed to have grabbed hold of his feet! So, as their man was about to break and as I rounded the offensive line and was almost there to assist in bringing this man down, I saw “Big Herb” out of the corner of my eye on the side line moving his big arms together in a “tackle fashion” yelling, “Hit 'em Louie!” Hit 'em!” And I did! And he came down right inside the sideline for a down!
One has referred to the Ten Commandments as “The Big Ten!” And the first commandment sets the stage for the others which apply to our lives both vertically: [God to man, Commandments 1-4] and those which apply horizontally [person to person, Commandments 5-10]. But the truth is, God who gave us these commandments to keep in check lying, stealing, adultery, etc., gave them to us for specific reason: because, whether we like it or not personally or as a society, we need absolutes or we will not only fracture as a society, but will also miss God’s blessings such as salvation, peace, and contentment in life!
Put it this way, what if there were no sideline markers on a football playing field! What if the pee wee running back, or an NFL running back for that matter, upon receiving the football and so as not to be tackled, decided to run up through the concession stand, out into the parking lot, around to the other side, and then, back down through the concession area and back onto the field to score a touchdown in the end zone! Would the coaches, the players, and the fans go for that? Not at all! The truth is, we want to live our lives by our own will and way which, without Christ, ultimately leads to disappointment, frustration, and loneliness of soul. Will you choose to exchange the world system’s false promises for God’s absolutes found in His word? When you do, you will discover true freedom and blessings in life that only He can provide and longs to do so in your life now and forever?