by Jim Hughes
Ps. 26:1 Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity. I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
The Lord does not condemn those who act with integrity of heart. We may not always get it right, but if we do what we do wanting to do what is right, God understands and honors our heart’s intent. He knows we are not perfect and does not hold that against us.
Now if we deliberately don’t do what is right, that’s another story altogether. There is accountability for those sins we deliberately sin against God. We are held responsible for willful sin. If you are a child of God and deliberately sin, are you not being spiteful towards Christ? It is defiance and should God let you get away with it? Of course not.
There is no condemnation for those who have an unwavering trust in the Lord. This means that we don’t fall into the trap of relying on our own wisdom or understanding or that of others. We turn to the Lord and listen to what He says. We acknowledge Him in all we do. We seek to obey Him because we love Him.
When our hearts are firmly set on the Lord, we know all is well with our souls and there is a peace that governs our lives that holds us steady and makes us strong. Satan may try to cast doubt on our souls but we stand firm because God declares us innocent. It matters not what Satan thinks or what people think; it only matters what God thinks about us.
Live with integrity of heart, trust in the Lord without wavering, and all things will be well with your soul both now and forever.
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.