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Honesty is one of the main things that God requires from all of us.

In Psalm 51, many of us know this psalm as a prayer of repentance by King David. We see the attitude of heart that David had, that made God accept him (even though he had committed adultery with Bathsheba by killing Uriah). In contrast, we see the honor-seeking attitude of Saul that made God reject him for what was apparently a small mistake.

Dishonesty and hypocrisy cannot be hidden for long. Their effects will manifest sooner or later. We, as God’s people, must fear these evils more than anything else.

Consider why some people could not come to Jesus when he was on earth:

• The Pharisees- self-righteous, despised others and justified themselves when it came to the Law
• The scribes and philosophers of the Law- were proud and arrogant of their intellect and their Bible-knowledge
• The rich young ruler- loved his money too much and was unwilling to give up the one thing Jesus told him to give up

Now look at the people who were accepted by our Savior:

• an outcast leper
• Peter, even after denying the Lord three times
• a woman caught in adultery
• Samaritan woman
• a centurion

The last two on the list were non-Israelis. Yet in the gospels, these are the only two whom the Lord publicly exalted for their great faith.

Great faith always correlates with great humility. Only the poor in spirit can come to the Lord, and the kingdom of heaven belongs to such people.

Personal Reflection:
What is the true meaning of justification?