A wise and godly man once said, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15 – NIV)

Paul was that wise man. I appreciate his little snippets of wisdom throughout his letters and how they can help me with my day-to-day life. You see, sometimes we live in turmoil, but when Christ’s peace is at the center of our being, we are able to move past the turmoil around us.

And as a body of believers, we are to be at peace with one another. I believe it’s more than that however. Paul says we are called to peace. We must be peaceable with one another.

Perhaps today you are not at peace. If not, why not draw on the peace of Christ that rules your heart?

The piece I share today is about integrity and how we are to live. I pray that you will have a day filled with peace and thanksgiving. Have a blessed day!

Integrity

I live in an area where a great deal of underground mining occurred in the past. Below our home are mine tunnels and shafts and because of that, our basement has a floating floor. This is also the reason I live in the Land of the Grasshoppers (I wrote about this in the past week or so).

Recently, little important looking pieces of equipment began showing up in our neighborhood. But then as I drove through the Tri-Towns area, I noticed them everywhere. And through Facebook, I heard they were in all the neighborhoods in the Tri-Towns area. There was something going on.

My city posted this information through Facebook with more information on their website.

“A 3-D seismic survey will be underway on Friday, January 25. The intent is to use state-of-the-art technology to produce detailed images of the geological layers deep beneath the earth’s surface. On Friday, you may see specialized mobile trucks along streets. These trucks direct low force vibrations into the ground and small sensors called “geophones” record the seismic data. This survey is expected to last for 1-day.”

Those layers beneath the earth’s surface that we cannot see were going to be surveyed in a way that no one had ever looked at them. These images would show what it looks like down there. Below the surface. An area that is invisible to the human eye.

I was away from the house on Friday when the trucks came through, but my husband was home. He said the whole house shook when they shot the vibrations into the ground. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. I wondered how the prairie dogs and their homes weathered this series of vibrations.

This is very technical stuff and I won’t even pretend to know what they are doing or looking for. And while I understand this might be a controversial topic, there are some good comparisons to our spiritual lives. I just couldn’t ignore this one.

You see, there is a thing called integrity. My definition of this word is when you are the same in private as you are in public. Both physically and spiritually.

What I do in the privacy of my home must reflect Jesus, even if no one is looking or watching. The thoughts I have must be Jesus’ thoughts, even though no one could ever know my thoughts. My heart must contain Jesus’ love through and through, although no one may know my motives.

We must be people of integrity, because there is someone who does know our private actions, our thoughts and our motives. It is God.

Listen to the words written in 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV). “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

These were God’s words as Samuel was choosing the second king of Israel. All of David’s brothers were asked to pass by Samuel and God more or less tested each of them. Kind of like a seismic vibration. He knew none of them would be chosen.

But when David was called to pass by Samuel, God said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” (1 Samuel 16:12b – NIV)

Through God’s infinite wisdom and knowledge, He knows our hearts. He knows our thoughts. He knows our private actions. And if they are not in line with His words, we sin.

Today, let’s not allow our inner thoughts and actions to be unpleasing to God. Maybe we should use this passage to help us in this struggle. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 – NIV)

I think this just about covers it.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna