Which of the following are similar to the ways you've served Christ in your family? [check all that apply]
• Taught your kids to see God's glory in nature
• Washed the dishes without being asked
• Played a board game with your kids
• Encouraged your wife to finish her master's degree
• Attended a child's open house at school
• Worked fewer hours to be with your family
• Set an example of a godly prayer life for your children
• Held a crying child
• Swung on the tire swing with your daughter
• Told your wife why you're still in love with her
• Told your son he's got what it takes
• Coached soccer
• Let you child correct you now and then
• Fixed the vacuum cleaner
• Taught your sons to ride a bike
• Listened patiently to a complaint of your wife
• Taped your child's artwork to your office wall
• Admitted to your kids that you were wrong
• Told your children how Christ entered your life
• Cleaned up vomit
• Taught your children to love books
• Been romantic without expecting sex
• Told your daughter she's smart/beautiful
• Set standards for your kids and stuck to them
• Dealt graciously with a busybody neighbor
• Peeled carrots
• Watched movies together
Be One of the "Few" Theme of the Week: Shun Those Shortcuts Saturday, May 25, 2002
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May/June 200253Be One of the "Few"Theme of the Week: Shun Those Shortcuts Be One of the "Few" Theme of the Week: Shun Those Shortcuts Saturday, May 25
Q. What's so bad about shortcuts?
A. Falsehood is far more expensive than courageous honesty. "Good people are guided by their honesty," says Solomon; "treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty" (Proverbs 11:3). Falsehood may appear to offer benefit without cost. But short-term gains at the expense of the true and the right are bad investments. We jeopardize God's blessing when we try to skate past His will.
But isn't this really going against the grain?
Yes. George Washington is reputed to have said, "Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."
The temptation to fudge or rationalize away an inconvenient promise is strong. But for the Christian, if keeping one's word costs money, time, or even personal sacrifice, the price is worth the effort. A God who never breaks His word calls us to be like Him, to reflect His character in a world desperate for leaders it can trust.
Is there a payback?
Yes. God promises to bless us for our obedience. And integrity is critical to our testimonies. "The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful" (Proverbs 12:22, NIV). This rare, unswerving dedication to the truth resonates in the vacuum of a culture with a shrunken spirit. It declares, "I don't belong to myself, for God paid a high price for me." God offers His strength to empower us to be faithful, to be numbered with the "few" and let His integrity shine through us.
If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless.
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