Integrity #5—Fruitful Integrity

The seed in the good soil are those who hear the Word with a noble and good heart, hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. Luke 8:15

Jesus emphasized that the honest and good heart of godly people contrasts sharply with the ignoble and reprehensible heart of the merely religious. What makes the simply religious contemptible is their merely superficial appreciation of the hope and power of Jesus’ message. They don’t comprehend the level of commitment Jesus demands of his followers. So when they experience impediments and inconveniences or illicit pleasures contrary to his teaching, they abandon the good Jesus offers. Jesus says we can recognize a noble and good heart by our passionate care for and commitment to the joys of participating in God’s covenant community. This singular focus, this integrity, helps us persevere in doing good to one another. When we wholeheartedly respond to the good news of the kingdom, we will more readily hold fast to the hope laid up for us in heaven and more readily obey God’s commands. This singular commitment will guard our hearts especially when we face competing claims that might divide our hearts. We will not be like the individuals who have heard the Word, but let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life choke it out, so we produce no mature fruit. Our Integrity will make us unlike those who light candles and put them under baskets. Instead, we will be those who shine the light of our good deed into a dark world.

Father, I need to listen well to what Jesus has to say. Only he has the words of eternal life. Unite in me a joyful hearing and an eager doing of the Word he speaks for you.