Daily Devotion: Our Integrity as Christians

Scripture:
Daniel 6: 1-10

Main Verse:
Daniel 6: 4 
At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.

Observation:
When the King's administrators and governors found out that He favored Daniel over them, they set up a plan so that Daniel may never be promoted. The thing is, because Daniel lived an upright life, the administrators could not find anything to accuse him of. So they targeted Daniel's faith in God to destroy Him by asking the King to punish anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days. But when Daniel found out about it, He still chose to continue with his faith. He chose to obey God and continued to pray to the Lord like he used to do, despite the decree that was approved by the King.

There were other men in the Bible whose integrity was tested but never failed. Take the case of Joseph. Despite what his brothers did to him, He did not develop any ill feelings for them. When Potiphar's wife seduced him, he resisted her. He chose to do what is right.

Application:
Our character as Christians may sometimes be tested. At work, you may find your boss asking you to lie about reporting something that is not true to save him or her from trouble. But if what they are asking you to do is contrary to your faith as a believer, our response should be an automatic "No." As Christians, our loyalty is always to our Lord. We are to follow authorities that are placed over us, but we should never follow them if they tell us to do something that is against our principles, beliefs, and convictions as a Christian. We need to keep in mind that obedience to God is more important than our loyalty to any person. We must have the unshakable determination to do what is right and pleasing in the Lord's sight!

Prayer:
Lord, create in me an unwavering character. In times that my integrity as a Christian is tested, may I show to others my obedience to you. May others see in me how you continue to change me and mold me into Christ's likeness. AMEN.