March 1, 2017
TAKE THE HIGH ROAD OF INTEGRITY TO GO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
Psalm 41
Patrick Dunne
Central Truth
Betrayal by friends can be hurtful! Sickness can also make us feel more vulnerable. Let God deal with treacherous friends and enemies. Keeping our reputation and integrity matters to God. His good will for our integrity is sufficient to secure us from the ill will of those who hate us.
Key Verse | Psalm 41:12
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
(Psalm 41:12)
Psalm 41
O LORD, Be Gracious to Me
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1
Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
1
41:1
Or weak
In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
2
the LORD protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3
The LORD sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.
2
41:3
Hebrew you turn all his bed
4
As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me,
3
41:4
Hebrew my soul
for I have sinned against you!”
5
My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
6
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
4
41:7
Or they devise evil against me
8
They say, “A deadly thing is poured out
5
41:8
Or has fastened
on him;
he will not rise again from where he lies.”
9
Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10
But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!
11
By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
12
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
13
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 41
In life, we make many choices on a daily basis that reflect on our our character, reputation, and integrity. Often, those choices can be categorized as right or wrong. You either follow God's example and His Word, or you follow your human sin nature.
In this psalm we learn that David focused completely on God while suffering a life-threatening sickness, hate from his enemies, and the betrayal of friends. When he suffered harm to his reputation, his first concern was his integrity before God. He trusted God to secure him from the evil intentions of others, and he knew his integrity would deliver him from those wishing him harm or death.
I wish I had always made decisions during my life where I took the "High Road" of integrity. I have not. Today, I have learned to highly value character traits of honesty and integrity in everything—little or big. That is what I pursue as a life principle because I know it is important to God, and thus to me. The saying goes, "once you lose your reputation it is almost impossible to get it back."
As an authentic Christian seeking to follow Christ since the age of 24, I have learned that we all are closely watched by others. Taking the high road of integrity always and in everything is critical. It is valued by God. Many say that your actions speak louder than your words. There is no quicker way to harm your Christian testimony than to proclaim your faith story and then contradict it by being dishonest and showing a lack of integrity. No excuses!
Take the high road consistently in all circumstances no matter what the situation. I have found that integrity, for me, is even more of a natural outflow after experiencing a changed and transformed heart.
Discussion Questions
1. Are you tempted to retaliate or speak poorly about friends or enemies who hurt you, rather than leave that matter to God (revisit Psalm 15)?
2. Why do you think God values integrity?
3. How do you maintain your integrity when your reputation is under attack (revisit Psalm 26)?
3. When sick or under attack, do you tend to focus on yourself and feel sorry for yourself? Or do you turn your focus on God? How did it work out for you in the past when your focus was on yourself ? What was the outcome when you were fully centered on God?
4. When you compromise values, behave dishonestly, or demonstrate a lack of integrity, do you feel uneasy or convicted by the Holy Spirit? You should. That conviction directs you in your behavior, words, and decisions.