For the Lord God is a sun and shield.  The Lord gives grace and glory;  He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity.  Happy is the person who trusts in You, Lord of Hosts!  Psalm 84:11-12 HCSB

I talk a lot about qualifiers.  Let’s face it, with just about anything we do, we have to qualify.  If you want a certain job, you must meet at least the minimum requirements.  If you want to obtain certain services, you must meet certain guidelines.  In many college courses, you must have completed the required prerequisite courses.

The bible tells us of some wonderful promises of God.  But we must qualify for these promises.  We must do our part in order to receive God’s protection, grace, and glory.  One thing is certain, God died for us while we were miserable sinners.  We don’t have to clean up our act, we can come to God just as we are.  We can accept Him as our savior and make a public profession of our faith.  We can get baptized.  But, then comes the hard part.  We have to walk it out.  This is where that whole living with integrity thing, mentioned in today’s scripture passage, comes into play.  Most of us can talk a good game, but can we walk it out?

Our scripture passage says that God does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity.  You see, God does not want to withhold good from anybody.  But, he is a just God.  He is not going to reward the wicked in the same way that he rewards the righteous.

Just the other day I was speaking with a friend who was anxiously awaiting a construction crew to come to her home to make some repairs.  Sadly, they had called several carpenters who promised to come out, but never showed up.  My friend said that she just wanted someone with integrity.  Sadly, that is a scarce commodity these days.

Too often these days, people say they will do this or that and then just don’t do it.  I will admit that I have a lot on my plate and I don’t remember much.  If I agree to do something for someone, I always ask that person to remind me.  It’s not that I don’t want to do it, it’s just that I get busy and forget.

Our word should be worth something.  Our word should mean something.  We shouldn’t make empty promises.  When we tell someone that we will do something, it may be no big deal for us, but it may mean everything to them.  They may be anxiously awaiting our help.  We must be careful not to make promises that we don’t intend to keep.  When I share a problem with someone I am often just venting and maybe brainstorming on what I can do.  But if that person tells me they can help, then I am excited and anxiously awaiting their help.  If they walk away and forget all about it, I am disappointed.  I am less likely to trust them or believe what they tell me in the future.  I regard them as someone who lacks integrity.

Now I can think of you as someone who lacks integrity till the cows come home and that doesn’t really matter.  But when God sees you as someone who lacks integrity, then you have a problem.  Because then you fail to qualify for the promises of our scripture.  You see God is true to His Word.  He keeps His promises.  If you hold up your end of the bargain, you can bet your bottom dollar that He’s going to hold up His end.

Quite simply, if you lack integrity, the promise of God being a sun and a shield (or protector), giving grace and glory and withholding no good thing is off the table.  You being happy and blessed, well God doesn’t really promise that either to those that don’t choose to accept His Son and follow Him.

As Christians, we must be faithful, not only to God, but to those around us.  We must be trustworthy and we must walk with integrity.  We must not only say we are followers of Christ, but we must walk it out.  Others must be able to see that we take our Christianity seriously.

My prayer for you today is that you are walking it out and qualify for all the heavenly benefits that come along with that.  If you are not, then know that it is not too late to start.  Trust in God, live as He has instructed us to live and allow God to give you all the good things He has in store for you.

Have a great day!