The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah can be read as one book as they both focus on the rebuilding of the Temple and the wall around Jerusalem. But they also both speak to a challenge that is facing the bride of Christ today.., Consistent Christian Living.

What caught my attention was chapter 8 of Ezra, which shows one man trying to consistently live with his faith. We all struggle with that challenge today, constantly dealing with being consistent in our walk with the Lord. Take the issue we have all heard of at some point in our walk. Should I spend money on life insurance or should I put my faith in God and put that money to better use in God’s Kingdom? What’s the answer? The answer is that there is no simple answer. Am I living consistent with my faith? If I’m honest, the answer is realistically no, not completely.

Ezra looked at the issue both spiritually and pragmatically. It’s a great example of how to deal with issues facing us in the real world in light of our faith in God. When you consider the issue of the Levites that Ezra was dealing with you come away with one word that sums up his answer to the question.

The Latin word integer means whole or complete, and it’s from this word that get our word integrity. Pastor Mark Roberts writes that integrity exists when a person lives in a state of wholeness, in which ideas and actions cohere, and every part of life fits together in a consistent whole. And certainly today we are witnessing a lack of integrity in every corner of the world we live in. Not to get into the business world, but Stephen Covey hit the nail on the head in writing about integrity; No integrity: values do not equal habits; there is not correlation between what I believe and what I do. Sad to say that same problem exists within the bride of Christ today.

It’s a big challenge and Ezra inspires us all to do the right thing, even if it takes more time, a higher cost or personal sacrifice. If the bride of Christ is to set the example for the lost in this world we are going to have to act with integrity and honesty. And sometimes that is going to slow down our walk with God, just as it did for Ezra.

Yes, we are challenged every day to act consistently with our convictions, to walk according to the Spirit and not the flesh. And while the challenges with that consistency are different for each one of us, there is one challenge that is the same for all of us… don’t take your integrity lightly.

My dad always told me that the one thing no one can take away from you is your reputation… you have to give it away. And if we take Ezra’s dealing with the Levites to heart, its pretty clear that he did not give away his reputation by short-cutting the challenge that God had given him. He could have said that the Law did not actually require Levites for his particular assignment and he could have made the choice to go ahead without them, but he acted consistent with his conviction. At the end of the day, although he was delayed in carrying out his task, he did not compromise his integrity. And that’s a challenge and an opportunity that will get set before us each and every day. Do our ideas and actions cohere… are we walking in wholeness… is our life consistent with our faith… are we keeping our integrity in tact?

Does 10 squared truly equal 100 in our life today?