The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my
righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. (Psalms 7:8
NRSV)
Henry Nouwen tells the story of a family he knew in Paraguay. The father, a doctor, spoke out
against the military regime there and its human rights abuses. Local police took their revenge on
him by arresting his teenage son and torturing him to death. The father responded with the most
powerful protest imaginable. At the funeral, the father displayed his son's body as he had found it
in the jail--naked, scarred from the electric shocks and cigarette burns and beatings. All the
villagers filed past the corpse, which lay not in a coffin but on the blood-soaked mattress from the
prison. Is that not what God did at Calvary? He laid it all out there for all to see--the price that
must be paid for humanity's refusal to obey God's Law.
Does it matter whether we seek after righteousness--whether we are persons of integrity, high
morals, honesty, ethics? It matters to our society. It matters to people we love. Most of all, it
matters to God. Always be honest. If you can't be honest, remove yourself from the situation.
Treat others as you would want them to treat you. Give of your best in everything you do.
Remember the gift of Jesus Christ who paid the price for our sins.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am very grateful for the most important gift of forgiveness you
gave me. May I show my gratitude by being a person of great integrity. Amen.
Written by: Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA
Friday, May 8, 1998