Last week, Steve’s parents came and visited us for a bit. Their lives have been marked by integrity, and the generations after them have been blessed. As I’ve was thinking about how God has used their integrity, I read Psalm 101. In this delightful short Psalm, David gives us very specific choices we can make to live a life of integrity.

3 Heart Choices You Can Make to Live a Life of Integrity:

Praise God for His love and goodness continually.

“I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise”(Psalm 101:1).

The Hebrewword for praisethat’s used here speaks to a celebration, praising God with song. Really, every day should be a celebration of God’s amazing love and goodness. What if you began every day by thanking God and praising Him for His love and goodness in your life? My guess is that you would live a more positive life, and you’d definitely be on your way to a life of integrity. When we focus on God’s love rather than on all the things that go wrong in life, we’re more likely to make positive decisions. The next time you’re tempted to complain or gripe about something, shift your focus to God’s faithful love. Watch how your spirit grows more joyful almost instantly.

Be careful what you set your sights on. 

“I will not look with approval on anything that is vile”(Psalm 101:3).

Don’t get me wrong, I love that we live in the age of the internet. We can research any topic instantly. But we need to be careful what we set our sights on. We need a heart of discernment with the media. Sometimes even the news is so graphic and argumentative that we need to shut it off. When you’re watching ask yourself, “Is this helping me follow Jesus more closely, or is it creating anxiety, worry, fear or lust in me?”

Walk away from gossip and dissention.

“Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate”(Psalm 101:5).

It’s so easy—you’re having coffee with friends, and one friend starts to “share” how frustrated they are with a different acquaintance. They need to process. So you listen, and soon you’re drawn in to something more deadly than just processing a frustration. Here’s the thing: we’re called to not have any part in slander. So what do you do? You could say something positive and walk away. You could change the topic. Or you could say, “I’m not comfortable cutting that person down. I don’t have all the facts, and I don’t want to be guilty of gossip.”

Friend, these are sometimes hard choices. It may seem that they’re not very big choices, and what do they really matter? But they do matter. By making choices after God’s own heart, one choice after another, you’ll be building a life of integrity. And in the end, your integrity matters greatly!

Lord, my desire is to live a life of integrity that honors you and others. Help me to make choices of the heart that lead to living a life that is above reproach. I want to honor you even in the small decisions of my life.

Where’s Becky?

–      I’m at home until Friday preparing for the launch of the Who Do You Say That I Am? Bible Study videos on August 7! They’re perfect for a women’s small group or a Bible study! Check it out here: https://www.moodypublishers.com/books/bible-study-and-reference/who-do-you-say-that-i-am-dvd/

–      On Friday, Steve and I will leave for 3 weeks in Europe. We’ll be visiting our team in England, having a vacation in Italy and then heading to Sweden to meet with some of our radio partners.

How You Can Pray:

–      Pray that I will be able to find time to write in all the busyness of life.

–      Pray that those who watch the Who Do You Say That I Am?videos will be blessed and will come to a greater faith in Jesus!