Coffee With The Lord

I know how it is… I’ve had it happen… the alarm goes off, you look at the time, the bed is so warm, you say to your sleepy self, “just a few more minutes” … then you wake up with a start!! You look at the clock again and with alarm realize you have to get to work or you’ll be late!! You jump out of bed…

Got the scene in your mind? … I read about a similar scene dealing with my life as a follower of Jesus this morning…

“You know how late it is! Time is running out! Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed! The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (Romans 13.11-14 New Living Translation)

The Lord’s coming!! I’ve got an appointment with Him … Got to be ready to “meet Him in the air”! Don’t want to doze off and be sleeping when the trumpet sounds!! Don’t want to goof off, start living sloppy and sinful!! He’s coming for those who are up and ready to meet Him!!

Let’s play a little word game that came to mind during my time of “coffee with the Lord” today – matching a word with its “antonym” (its opposite)… Let me set you up – the word we’re matching with is “integrity” … Now think about it; what word would you choose as an antonym (an opposite word) for “integrity?”

The passage I was reading in my Bible that provoked this thinking was Job 27 – a passage where Job declares his commitment to personal “integrity.” In in, Job declares, “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me! My righteousness I hold fast, I will not let it go! My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live!” (Job 27:4-5) In fact, all of Job 31 is a studied defense of his sustained integrity with the repeated phrase; “If I have…”

And Job was not the only one who defended and asserted his integrity – God did! Twice these words are declared by God to Satan (the “accuser”) regarding Job: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is not like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8) And then God’s assertion regarding Job’s integrity appears again in Job 2:3: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause!”

So… What is the “antonym” – the opposite of “integrity?” I would argue it is “HYPOCRISY!” …Claiming virtue, goodness, righteousness but hiding evil, perversion, dishonest, and bad behavior. Seeking to convince others by your actions that you’re good, holy, and a person of integrity but covering up bad behavior and character with deceit.

Hey, my guess is your list of people of integrity is a lot shorter than your list of hypocrites! I know mine is! Look around you in politics, business, entertainment, and leadership in general… plenty of hypocrites! Not a lot of people of genuine integrity!

God help me – I want to be a person of integrity – don’t you?

How can it happen? Well, I’m convinced (and the Bible teaches) it is an “inside-out” thing! I believe it begins by being “born again” – a Spiritual “rebirth” and having God plant His “spiritual DNA” within our lives! (John 3:6-8,16) Then, as we cooperate with what God, by His Spirit would do within our lives, integrity becomes a reality! (Romans 8:1-4; Galatians 2:19-25) And then there’s the important process of “being transformed by the renewing of our minds” daily with the help of God’s word and the Holy Spirit coupled with our will (Romans 12:1-2).

Oh, I want to be a person of integrity before God and others – “true-blue – inside-out!” Don’t you?

Ever been tempted to do something that might harm or hurt another person? If so, Romans 13:8-10 is a good passage to read and think about… I read it again just this morning during “coffee with the Lord” … Here’s some ideas from that passage…

• Owe someone some money and really don’t want to pay it? … Show love, and pay it!
• Tempted to be unfaithful to your wife (or husband) and “fool around” with someone else? … Love your spouse with all your heart and be faithful!
• Has someone really been bugging you so much you’d almost like to “kill ‘em? … Don’t do it! Show them love instead.
• Have you been tempted to take something from someone else that doesn’t belong to you? … Leave it alone – it’s not yours! Love will keep you from stealing!
• Does someone have something you really want and your desire for it is “driving you nuts” (and even influencing your attitude to them)? … Love them and get your eyes and heart off their stuff!

And I could go on… The dynamic of authentic, godly love will solve those problems!

You think it’s not in there (in Romans 13.8-10)? Read it! Here’s what it says…

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law”

So I guess this is what I ought to say to the Lord this morning… “Thanks, Lord… I needed that! Help me live every moment, in every situation, to show those around me authentic, godly love – the kind of love God has for people and the love Jesus exhibited by dying on the cross for our sin!