A heart of integrity

Psalm 78:70-72 in the Bible tells us that God chose David the shepherd boy to be the shepherd of his people and David fed them according to the integrity of his heart and with his skillful hands he led them. “Integrity of his heart” – what does that mean? According to Merriam -Wesbster’s, Integrity is defined as the quality or state of being complete (wholesome) or undivided.

David who slew the giant Goliath as a shepherd boy failed to slay the giant of lust within his heart as the king (shepherd) of God’s people and commited the sin of adultery with Uriah’s wife, which displeased God. So how could it be said that David had a heart of integrity? God chose David because he was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). So David started out with a heart of integrity. But when David wilfully sinned against God, his heart was divided between the matters of the Spirit of God and the flesh; no longer wholesome, no longer complete. So God sends his prophet Nathan to confront the king and David repents. In his prayer of repentance David prayed that God creates in him a clean heart (Psalm 51:10) and later affirms that God will not despise a contrite (remorseful) heart (Psalm 51:17).

So we learn that a heart of integrity is one that is complete (undivided/wholesome); one after God’s own heart. A heart of integrity is also one that has been washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, in response to a penitent prayer that comes from a contrite (remorseful) heart.

Points to ponder:
Jesus answered that the greatest commandment over all is to love the Lord your God, with your WHOLE heart, soul, mind and strength. In other words, we must love God with our COMPLETE heart; with a heart of integrity. Do you/I? A heart of integrity is one that is not only COMPLETE in its allegiance to God, but one that has been CLEANED by Jesus Christ. The cleaning of our heart comes when we believe in him and repent of our wicked ways with a CONTRITE heart, for that is one that God will not despise.

Today if you hear God’s voice, harden not your heart! (Hebrews 3:8). God is willing to take our heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19); one that is COMPLETE in its devotion to Christ Jesus and CLEANED – one of integrity. Is your/my heart, one of integrity?

Psalm 78: 70-72 (KJV)
⁷⁰ He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
⁷¹ From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
⁷² So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.