Personal Integrity

REAL CHANGE // TRADEMARK CHURCH

PERSONAL INTEGRITY

“In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”—2 Timothy 2:20–21

In this passage, the Apostle Paul uses household items as an analogy to describe believers and our ability to be useful to God by serving him and fulfilling our destiny. We see that some items are inexpensive and ordinary, but others are honorable, used for special occasions. In the Master’s hand, these are utensils that accomplish great things. Every person is at a different place in his or her walk with Christ. No two stories are the same, and no one starts out as silver or gold; it is a process. If you’re unsatisfied with where you are in the process, God is eager to take you to the next level. He is the One who prepares us, refines us, and makes us honorable. Though you may not feel very special or honorable at the moment, God sees you this way.

You are not defined or limited by your past. He says in his Word that he makes all things brand new, (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), and he can use every circumstance and situation in your life to transform you into a vessel of honor, if you let him!

Write Revelation 21:5

Ask Yourself:

Am I satisfied with where I am in my relationship with God? How do I want my life to be different?

At times, we may look at another person and assume from outward appearances that their spiritual walk is strong. While they may appear holy and righteous, looks can be deceiving. We can’t tell from the outside what is going on inside a person’s heart. It’s similar to looking at dishes in a dishwasher—sometimes you can’t tell if they have been washed. Even if you inspect them closely and they look clean, they may still be covered in germs. You wouldn’t want to eat on a dirty plate, no matter how clean it looks on the surface! In the same way, the Holy Spirit knows when there is something in our lives keeping us from being fit for his use. In his kindness and his perfect timing, he will show us those things and patiently redirect us, because he loves us.

Will you let him reveal those areas to you? He wants to bring you to a new level of personal integrity, and he will do a miracle in your life, if you will allow him.

What areas of your life might need to be confronted and cleaned up by the Holy Spirit? Write them out below as a way of surrendering them to the Lord.

When we talked about Spiritual Order in Session Four, we discussed justification and sanctification. Remember, justification is an event that takes place when we are saved. When Jesus becomes our Savior, at that very moment every sin, every mistake of our past, is wiped clean. God removes the junk of yesterday, just as if we had never sinned.

Sanctification, however, is not an event; it’s a process of transformation— a journey through which God molds and transforms our character. As he transforms us, God also takes us to new stages of faith, continually making us more like him. He sets us free from habitual sin, purifies our hearts, and empowers us to fulfill the Kingdom purpose for which he created us.

There are four stages of Christianity that people generally flow through:

1. Unbelievers become believers.
2. Believers become disciples who begin to grow.
3. Disciples become leaders who find their purpose in life.
4. Leaders become servants.

Which stage do you most comfortably identify with right now?

It may surprise you to discover that the highest level of our journey as believers is servanthood, a concept that is very counterintuitive to the world’s way of thinking. However, our greatest goal as Christians is to fulfill the purpose for which God created us, which includes humbly laying down our lives, supporting and encouraging others as they discover God’s purpose for their own lives. This requires a deep level of both humility and confidence—of knowing that you don’t have to take center stage and of understanding that choosing a position of servanthood does not diminish your standing as a son or daughter of God, of royalty.

Let’s look again at 2 Timothy 2:21: “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.” Here, the word “Master” is the Greek word “despotes,” which refers to a person who is a ruler with absolute power and authority over others. We often think of God as a Friend, a Savior, and a Protector, and he is those things—but he is also Lord. That means he calls the shots! And we are called to serve at the pleasure of our King.

Reflect on Matthew 20:26 and ask the Holy Spirit to show you one or two ways he is calling you to serve him and others.