Integrity - 1 Samuel 12:3

1 Samuel 12:3

"Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.  Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right."

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This section in my Bible is titled "Samuel's Farewell Speech". Samuel was a Prophet and the last of the judges and he had already anointed Saul as Israel's first king. But he takes this occasion to remind Israel of all that God has done for them but to also admonish them for their lack of faith in asking for a king.

But in order to admonish Israel, Samuel first reminds them of his integrity so that he has the right and the standing to call them to account. Samuel would not have been able to speak honestly and critically to Israel if he had not already earned their respect and honor.   

And so it is with us. Our integrity is everything in our lives.  Alan Simpson, a former US Senator said this: "If you have integrity, nothing else matters.  If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters."  I recently give a presentation to my leadership team at work and one of the key points that I made was that we all need to have the highest integrity.  I told them that for me to trust them, I needed to have the utmost confidence in their integrity and honesty.  

I implore all of you that no matter what happens in life, do your best to protect your integrity and your name.  But of course none of us is perfect and there will be times that we fall short of our goal. If this happens, simply admit your short-coming, ask forgiveness from anyone you have wronged or deceived, and finally repent to your Lord and ask him to give you the strength to succeed next time.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!  

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Family Update: We went to the medical oncologist last Friday and discussed a few aspects of Kay's treatment.  First, we agreed that we wouldn't put Kay on any long-term medication as a preventative measure for any returning cancer.  Because of Kay's clotting disorder, the typical medications are problematic.  Second, he said that Kay's hematomas are healing gradually and it will just take time for them to work out.  We will check back in a few months and then make a decision about any further treatment.  Third, and maybe most importantly, we decided that Kay will no longer need to take ongoing anticoagulants (Coumadin).  Since she has not had a recurrence in 13 years and there are also inherent risks in taking blood thinners, we decided that this was the best course of action. This should make Kay's life even easier going forward and will be a real blessing. Thanks as always for all your prayers!

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