Moral Excellence

Moral Excellence

A person with integrity knows what is important to God and consistently lives in light of what is important to Him. It involves more than living our values; it involves subscribing to God’s values and with His help learning to conform our conduct to those values.

Steven C. Riser

You honor Me when you stand out as a person of moral excellence. In the past you’ve been tempted to create a list of taboos to avoid—overt sins like lying, cheating, adultery, stealing, and gossiping. But I’m asking you to stop living by what you don’t do and to start living by what you know I want you to do. Seek personal integrity by pursuing My will in every area of your life. This quest for Christlikeness begins in your mind and influences your attitudes, priorities, values, goals, choices, and devotion.

The apostle Peter gives good advice. “Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness” (2 Peter 1:5-6). Ask Me to convict you when your thoughts drift away from purity. Respond immediately by confessing your sin, and fill your mind with wholesome thinking that honors Me. This practice will soon become second nature.

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 4:23-24