Integrity and Righteousness

"The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed His name, 'Yahweh.' Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: 'Yahweh--Yahwah is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.'" (Exodus 34:5-7, emphasis mine)

Although grace is free and faith, which is also a free gift from the Father, guarantees salvation and forgiveness as pointed out in the first sentence of the Lord's proclamation above, the emphasized section also clearly shows that even for those whose sins are forgiven, there will be repercussion for those who continue in sin.

Notice the difference in Proverbs 20:7. "The one who lives with integrity is righteous; his children who come after him will be happy." Living with integrity is the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles, or living according to the Word.

Will our children be happy or will they be facing the consequences? Or, maybe more tellingly, what are their present circumstances telling about our lives?

Fear--Danger

I remember when I was young and it would be a dark, windy night. My dad would be working late. We would head off to bed and shortly, after the house quieted down and others went off to sleep, I would hear tree limbs scratching the roof and the side of the house. It's amazing what a young mind can read into those sounds. Sometimes, I would be paralized with fear thinking that someone or some creature was there and coming to get us.

And then I met Jesus and began to realize what a relationship with God meant to me. I did not have to be afraid of the dark, windy nights anymore, because my Dad was there and protecting me. We can cry, "Abba! Father!" He is always ready to hold us and protect us.

"The fear of the Lord leads to life;
one will sleep at night without danger."
Proverbs 19:23

Laughter

There is something special about hearing someone laugh. It's contagious. It lifts the spirit. It makes everyone feel better. Laughter and life simply fit together. Go ahead and laugh. Make someone's day brighter.

Research has clearly shown us of the benefits to our own well-being. It releases the good endorphins into our system. It erases those down moods. It has been shown to help overcome diseases. It increases our energy. But did you know that it does the same for those around us?

"A merry heart does good like medicine..." (Proverbs 17:22)