INTEGRITY
2 Maccabees 6:24-28 LXX
“For to pretend such things,” he said, “is not worthy of our time of life, lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to a foreign religion, and because of my pretense for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray through me, while I earn only pollution and defilement in my old age. For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die, I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age, and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and bravely for the venerable and holy laws.”
After he said this, he went straight to the rack,
Personal Challenge
How important is my integrity to me? Would I be as strong as Eleazar in the face of death to stand firm on my convictions and profess my commitment to my Lord? It is easy to say, "Yes!" to this question when I am not really being threatened with the loss of my life or that of a loved one. Maybe the real way to determine the answer to this question is to observe how I behave every moment of every day. Do I put Christ first and do all that I do I order to magnify Him? Do I show unconditional love to my neighbor, starting with my wife, children, grandchildren, and other family members and then proceeding out to all others, especially the unlovable? Do I practice what I preach about being a Christian? Giving up my life for Christ does not always, if ever, happen in a life threatening situation where I live. It happens every moment I am alive.
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