Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
Nothing pleases God more I’m sure than honesty in a person.
Honesty is in abundance in all good and faithful servants, and
all true believers in Jesus genuinely seek God’s approval to the end of being called
a ‘good and faithful servant’ (see Matthew
25:14-30). It becomes a number-one operating mandate for an ethic that
simply can’t lose.
Honest people are honest about themselves, toward others in
love, and before God. They believe honesty is both the cherished means and the blessed
end of life, and their whole life is oriented toward such obedience of faith.
About Themselves
Honest people are truthful about themselves, especially their
foibles. They know they’re flawed, but they don’t berate themselves, because
they’re honest enough with themselves to know that perfectionism is folly; that
to believe they can attain perfection is a lie they will not subscribe to.
They hold themselves to be responsible human beings who
understand there are limits to responsibility; that they cannot always be
responsible for others’ actions, yet they will never shirk their own
responsibility.
They understand they will one day be held to account for all
they did. They’re intrinsically motivated, therefore, to make good on that account
today and all days, for every known transgression.
Honest people are humble, and their authenticity causes them to
reflect and gain insight toward self-awareness, and any sincere person who is
aware of an issue must strive earnestly to resolve that issue.
People who love God take the prayer in Psalm
139:23-24 seriously as their basis of relationship with God. They are able
to hear God with respect to their own sin, their insecurity, fears, pride, and
propensity to manipulate situations for self-gain. They hear God and they
respond instinctively and diligently. Their life is an instrument in God’s
hands for learning and mastery to this end.
Toward Others in
Love
When we love God, we are compelled to be trustworthy and
reliable in relationship. Lovers of God communicate with a sensitive candour,
and they’re prepared to be honestly dealt with. They come across as logical and
rationale and quickly-as-possible apologise when they break from that form.
This is how we will know them/ourselves:
by the fruit of their/our deeds
we will know them/us.
(Matthew 7:15-20)
by the fruit of their/our deeds
we will know them/us.
(Matthew 7:15-20)
You could almost say that for the person who is honest, nothing
is impossible. They overcome their own fears and present a persona entirely
comfortable in exposure to vulnerability, or they’re honest when they haven’t
overcome their fears, when they’re not comfortable in exposure to
vulnerability.
They’re open to becoming aware of when insecurity ransoms their
peace, when they’re tempted to misuse their power. They’re honest about these
insecurities that run virulent in all of us.
Of course, the honest person is ideally suited to every kind of life-giving
and life-receiving relationship, especially marriage, because relationships
thrive in a seedbed of honesty, where trust builds, and intimacy blossoms. And
the marriage relationship is the halcyon of all these.
Above all, those ruled by honesty realise the need to be committed
to all kinds of God-given relationships. They endeavour to see the bigger
perspective in people who are problematic. But they also don’t abide in
dishonesty. They keenly discern the presence of unsafe people in their midst. They
know that God empowers them to kick the dust from their feet, but without permission
to offend, and they have continued openness to see change in such an individual
and pray for them.
Honest people respect people, because
they know how much they value being respected.
they know how much they value being respected.
Their Allegiance
to and Service under God
God will do anything for the person who is honest, as they put
the Lord’s Kingdom and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33), and God will
give them the desires of their heart (Psalm 37:4), which is the desire of His
heart; His will.
In honesty, a person deals with guilt and shame there and then,
and sin cannot harbour and manifest into a problematic pattern of behaviour with
a person who is honest.
***
You’ll know that this article is aspirational in nature — calling
the writer and reader to the realm of virtue in honesty.
It is to God’s glory
when we commit ourselves
to honesty.
when we commit ourselves
to honesty.
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