"Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'"
A Solid Foundation
A very short man wanted to drive a nail in his wall to hang a picture. He stood on a chair, but it wasn't high enough. His wife placed a box on the chair, but he was still too short. Finally she placed a stool on top of the box. Balancing himself precariously, the do-it-yourself picture hanger began to tap timidly with his hammer. "Why don't you hit it hard?" his wife asked. "You'll never drive the nail that way!" Our hero looked down from his perch and replied, "How can a man hit anything hard on a shaky foundation like this?"
Great deeds take solid foundations. God reminded Solomon that if he wanted to establish a great kingdom that would live on through his descendants, he would have to build it on the solid foundation of integrity. Only as Solomon sought to live according to God's commandments and statues would he be assured that future generations of his family would occupy the throne.
Any substitute for integrity is a shaky foundation. We can't build a solid Christian life just on emotional experiences; we have to obey God's Word. We can't raise up a Christian ministry that will endure for decades unless it's done in uprightness of heart. Only integrity is able to provide a solid foundation that God will honor through the ages.
What are you attempting to build today? Is it a family? A ministry? A marriage? A life? Check out your integrity level. Make sure that everything you do is consistent with God's Word. This will not only provide a firm foundation for yourself but will be a blessing to your children as well.
Integrity for the foundation means blessing for the future.