Daily Devotionals

Woe to you when people speak well of you (Luke 6:26).

After David Ben-Gurion declared the Jewish State on May 14,1948, he wrote in his diary, "The country went wild with joy, but I could not rejoice. I knew the war we faced." Ben-Gurion and the Yishuv—the Jewish population in the land of Israel—had not done what was easy; they had done what was right. American President Theodore Roosevelt spoke of how he handled moments like this when he said, "If I must choose between peace and righteousness, then I choose righteousness."

Integrity is the commitment to do the right thing under pressure. Scripture calls us to develop this quality as believers if we truly desire fellowship with HaShem (God; literally, "the Name"). We are not to be contentious people; we are to seek the peaceful path when it can be found (Hebrews 12:14). However, if our integrity is on the auction block, we are not to sell at any price. If that means battle, then battle it must be, and may our God be with us. A coward dies a thousand deaths; the valiant man, but one. Courage is as much a part of walking with God as purity, for without courage, there can be no integrity. Without integrity, there can be no true intimacy with the living God. "When they saw how bold Kefa and Yochanan were ...they recognized them as having been with Yeshua" (Acts 4:13).

...ask God to fill my heart with courage so that I can stand my ground in matters of righteousness (Psalm 15).

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