Send to Kindleby Jim HughesÂ
Ps. 51:3-6 For I recognize my shameful deeds–they haunt me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned. I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner–yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my innermost being.
Are you an honest person? You cannot be trusted beyond your level of honesty. An honest person tells the truth regardless whether or not it is convenient or self-serving. An honest person does not take advantage of others or embellish the truth. It is the kind of heart God desires for us to have.
Honesty of heart defines who we really are. God is Truth and there is absolutely no falsehood within Him. The more like Him we become, the more truthful and honest we become. Honesty comes from the heart. We cannot be what is not within us. What we are in our souls will show in our living.
An honest person knows what he is really like and is not afraid to admit it. He is transparent before God and others. He does not put on a front pretending to be who he is not. Let’s be honest; we re good at not being honest about ourselves. We think we are more righteous than we really are. We don’t approach God with a sense of sinfulness very often. We hide ourselves behind our perception of righteousness. We shut our eyes to our need for repentance. We don’t easily accept responsibility for what we do and say.
Wisdom is simply the right application of truth. It is the ability to take what God teaches us and apply it to living. It involves submission to Truth, which means that we allow Him to change the way we think about things and thus live. God wants us to be honest in our hearts. He wants us to not make excuses for our behavior or thoughts. He wants us to admit it when we sin so that we can be right with Him.
Be honest with yourself about yourself. Listen to what the Lord says to you about you. Be open to what the Lord is saying and humble yourself before Him. Wise are those who do it.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.
