Job’s integrity was an observable virtue. It was not cloaked or hidden, or something you had to search high and low for, but readily seen to the point that his wife pointed out the fact that he still held onto it after his life came crashing down around him. It’s very likely his wife wasn’t the only one to notice. Whether the servants who survived, his neighbors or those who interacted with him regularly, his current steadfastness and preservation of his integrity only confirmed to them what they already knew of the man.
That said, it wasn’t something he actively sought to exude,
something he thought about, or something he focused on. This is an important
distinction because far too many try to put on airs, pretending to be
spiritual, thinking it’s the image people want them to project. In some
instances, they need to project an image rather than who they are authentically
because they are presenting themselves as spiritual authorities rather than
genuinely desire to serve God and be one of His children both in word and deed.
When you see an individual playing at being spiritual or
having integrity instead of genuinely possessing these virtues, there’s always
something that seems off, a bit odd, with that not quite authentic feel to it.
It’s reminiscent of politicians pretending to be human, smiling awkwardly,
pretending to grill burgers on a grill with no flame, or biting babies for
whatever reason. Their humanity is not naturally occurring. They are not
genuine and take their cues from those around them as to how a real human with
real emotions should act.
That which is in the heart of a man will shape his character,
his attitude, and the way he interacts with those around him. If God is on the
throne of his heart, then his actions will speak for themselves. He won’t need
to carry a bullhorn around and insist that he is a prophet, an apostle, or a
man of God; his attitude will show it without him having to trumpet it to
anyone within earshot.
Whenever someone tries to draw more attention to themselves
than to the God they serve, it’s always a warning sign. We are here for the
sole purpose of pointing the way to Jesus and telling anyone who would hear
that He is the way, the truth, and the life. It’s not about us or our ego, it’s
not about us and our pride, it’s not about what we can do but what He’s already
done.
When we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, and
faithfully pick up our crosses and follow after Him, it is He who will raise us
up. It’s not something we need to try and do on our own or by ourselves because
that is not the purpose of the exercise; that’s not the reason you were called to
serve. We’ve lost sight of the reality that a servant is not greater than his
Master, and there’s an ongoing, evermore violent scramble for the spotlight
nowadays, wherein men will actively try to tear down another in the hopes of
being elevated themselves.
If someone is teaching aberrant doctrine, they must be called
out. If, however, you begin to undermine an individual just because you feel as
though he’s encroaching on your slice of the pie, your heart is not in the
right place, and you’re not doing it for the glory of God.
There is also this tendency among the sheep to pit shepherds
against each other and try to get them to start slinging mud. I’ve often been
asked what I think of certain individuals within ministry, and every time this
happens, my focus is always on whether they are teaching the truth of
Scripture. I’m not concerned about their delivery or eccentricities or whether
they wear suits or sweaters when they preach. My only concern is whether or not
they are teaching the salvific truth of the gospel of Christ, and if they are,
God bless them. I hope the Lord gives them strength, endurance, and a bigger
platform than what they already have to do the work of the Kingdom.
Trying to protect, defend, or otherwise elevate something that
isn’t yours to begin with is wasted energy and a horrible use of one’s time.
Although a former president was wrong when he said, “You didn’t build that,” in
relation to individuals who started businesses and built them up, if he’d been
referencing ministries or the work of God, he would have been spot on. I don’t
care how big your ministry is or how many campuses your church has; you didn’t
build that! If you insist that it was you, that you built it and made it grow,
then God wasn’t in it, and it wasn’t His work. You can’t have it both ways. It’s
either God’s work, and He builds it to a size He desires, or it’s your work,
and God’s not in it, and you’re off on your own, doing your own thing, using God
as a foil for your aspirations and goals.
On the other side of it, Job didn’t pretend as though he wasn’t
hurting or that he wasn’t feeling the pain attributed to losing his children
and being covered in painful boils. He didn’t put on a brave face and pretend
as though what was happening to him wasn’t. When Jesus said we shouldn’t have a
sad countenance, it was within the context of fasting, not within the context
of feeling sadness, pain, or hardship.
The difference between how those of the world and those of
the household of faith process and go through affliction and heartache is that
while the world does so alone, we do so anchored in hope, whether the hope that
we will one day be reunited with our love ones, or that God has a plan we are
currently unable to see. Having gone through my fair share of heartache, I can
testify that hope makes the difference, and it is a sure comfort we can cling
to even in the worst of times.
Because we know the God we serve, because we know He is with
us, because we know that He will make a way and that the valley will soon give
way to the mountaintop, we hold fast to our integrity, we cling to faith and
hope in the God we serve, we persevere and press ever onward toward the prize.
1 Peter 5:10, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to
His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect,
establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
Posted on 16 November 2024 | 12:32 pm
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