Loving Integrity

So, I'm reading through Exodus these days. It has been amazing. I am learning so much through the narrative of God delivering his people. But, yesterday I came to a section that lies after the ten commandments. There are three sections of scripture that detail how the Hebrews should interact with each other. It's stuff like, if you kill your neighbor's bull you should replace it or be enslaved. If you injure your brother you should pay him a fee, and on and on and on.

I read one of these sections yesterday and thought to myself...um....yeah....ok.....right.... so thanks for that God. I thought to myself well that's one of those little sections that does not really pertain to today and I am not sure there is much there for me. I am wanting to read through all of Exodus so I am going to just have to power through these sections to get to the good stuff.

This morning there was another such section. I realized that this was the case and then decided to pray. I said God, teach through this passage today. What do you want to say to me through this passage.

Lately, God has been dealing with me in the area of love. Loving him with all of my heart and loving others. He has been redefining my parameters for loving him and loving others. Stretching me. Showing me more and that he expects more of me. He has been showing me that the standard is not me, it's not the people around me, it's not mother Theresa. It is Jesus. Jesus is the standard. Which I have known since pre-school Sunday school. After all, Jesus is the answer to any question that the teacher asks. God is redefining Jesus for me. It's molding me, changing me, stretching me. It is changing my ideas about who God is, who I am, and what He wants from me. It is changing my idea of what it means to be a Christian.

Toady's section was about property issues. After reading this, it hit me. These sections are not dry, dull, arbitrary rules. They are about how the Hebrews were to interact with each other. They were about personal integrity. And then it was clear, my personal integrity in dealing with other people is another way of loving them. If I act in poor character to another person, if I cheat him, if I cause him injury, if I intrude on his rights, If I break fellowship with him, I break trust with him. He will loose faith in me. If I fail to show him respect, I fail to show him love. In the way of Jesus, we are to love as he loved. He loved with integrity, respect, mercy, with diligence and intention. And so should I!

God, help me to see my personal integrity as loving my fellow man and therefore loving you as well.