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As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.
Psalm 41:12

Joseph was a righteous man who had cultivated a reputation for godliness in his community. Then word spread across the community that Mary, the woman to whom he was engaged, was expecting a child. There would be many who would assume the worst of this apparently scandalous situation. Joseph probably experienced gossip from some, ostracism from others. Yet he was a man of integrity, aware that God knew the truth of his relationship with Mary.

At times, God will be the only witness to your righteous behavior. Sometimes God is the only one who will understand your motives. Sometimes you will do all you know God has asked you to do, only to face ridicule from others. At such times all you can do is maintain your integrity, trusting that God always keeps His eyes on you. God looks favorably upon those who walk with integrity, doing what they know is right, regardless of how others perceive their actions.

The most important thing is not that people know the truth. The most important thing is that you are a person of integrity before God. When no one seems to understand why you have done something or when others question whether you have done all you should have done, your confidence should not be in the hope of vindication in the eyes of others. It should be in the knowledge that God keeps you in His sight. If you have this confidence, it will be enough to sustain you.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Him we preach,warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:28

Discipleship is personally transferring the full dimensions of your relationship with Christ to the person you are walking with.  It is not the imparting of spiritual disciplines as much as it is acquainting another with a Person you love.  Paul said that he would teach and urge with all his strength that every person God placed in his life would come to a complete experience of the person of Christ (Colossians 1:24-29).  He was not satisfied with people becoming partially like Christ.  He would not rest until those around him were perfect, or complete, in Christ.  That is, that the fruits of the Spirit were being fully expressed through each life and the character of Christ was reflected in each person (Galatians 5:22-25).

We can mistake Christian activity with becoming like Christ.  Christian activity and Christlikeness are not the same things.  We must not assume that because our friend attends church and reads her Bible, she is growing as a Christian.

Christian activities are an important expression of your relationship with Christ.  They can lead you to a relationship, but the danger is assuming that your religious activity is the relationship.  If you are only encouraging those around you to attend Christian activities, then you have not "discipled" them the way Paul did.  You do your fellow Christians an injustice by teaching them that Christian activity is equal to Christian maturity.  Do not rest until those around you have become "perfect" in Christ.  If God has put new Christians under your care, you have an obligation to "stay with them" until they have reached Christian maturity.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Truth Is a Person

And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying "Master, Master, we are perishing!"Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"
Luke 8:24-25

Truth is a Person, not a concept.  Jesus said He was the Truth (John 14:6).  That means that you can never know the truth of your circumstances unless you have first heard from Jesus.  The disciples thought they were perishing in the storm.  They were fishermen who knew the sea and knew what their condition was.  They had allowed their circumstances to convince them that the "truth" was their imminent death.  But they were wrong.  Truth was asleep in the back of their boat!

Since some of the disciples were fishermen, they trusted in their own expertise and wisdom rather than recognizing that only Jesus knew the truth of their situation.  At times, our human knowledge in certain areas of life can blind us to our desperate need to hear a word from Truth.

When Jesus spoke, the disciples saw the real truth of their situation.  There was absolute calm.  The disciples had seen Jesus perform other miracles, but they had not yet witnessed His power over nature in such a dimension.  Often we are like the disciples.  God may have recently demonstrated His power to us in a mighty way; we may have experienced many spiritual victories in the past.  Yet, when a new and frightening situation comes upon us we, too, panic and say, "Lord save me.  I’m perishing!"  God will remind us of His provision, saying, "I can handle this situation, too, and you will know more of Me because of it."

Have you become fearful instead of faithful?  If you have, prepare for the rebuke, for it will come.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness,and sin is lawlessness.
1st John 3:4

It is a dangerous thing to live your life without a spiritual "plum line," or standard, by which you determine right from wrong.  God’s Word is that plumb line.  Spiritual laws, like physical laws, are meant to protect you, not restrict you.  You may exercise your freedom to challenge the laws of electricity, but to do so can bring you death.   Likewise, you will not break God’s laws, they will break you.  God established absolute moral and spiritual laws that we are free to ignore, but we do so at our own peril.  These laws are timeless.  Culture does not supersede them.  Circumstances do not abrogate them.  God’s laws are eternal, and they will save you from death if you follow them.

You may feel that God’s laws restrict and bind you.  On the contrary, God’s Word protects you from death (Romans 6:23).  For example, when God said that you are not to commit adultery, He wanted to free you to experience the fullest pleasure of a marriage relationship.  Furthermore, He knew the devastating heartache that would come to you, your spouse, your children, your relatives, your friends, and your church family if you broke this law.  How important the laws of God are for your life!  Without them, you would be robbed of the delights God has in store for you.

Sin is choosing a standard other than God’s law on which to base your life.  If you are measuring your life by that of your neighbors, or society at large, then you are basing your life on lawlessness, and lawlessness is sin.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.
Mark 1:36

Simon Peter is well known to us for his foolish, extemporaneous statements throughout the Gospels (Matthew 16:22; 17:4; 26:33). But Peter was always seeking after Jesus. Peter followed Jesus from afar during the night of Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 26:58). Peter ran to the tomb when he heard Jesus had risen (Luke 24:12). Peter did not always say or do the right things, but he did constantly seek to be with Jesus. Because of this, he was continually encountering his Lord and growing to be a more faithful disciple.

Whenever we see Peter coming to Jesus he is always accompanied by others. Because Peter was seeking Jesus, others sought Him too. What are you known for by those who know you best? Do they see you searching for fame, power, success, or happiness? Are you known as a person who seeks after Jesus? God promises: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Did you begin today intent on encountering Jesus? Is your search for Him halfhearted, or are you seeking Him with all your heart? Have others grown closer to Jesus because they followed your example and sought Jesus? If your heart is set on pursuing Jesus, you will always find Him. “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come” (Revelation 22:17).

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day