Doing the Right Thing

Scripture:

II Samuel 11:11 "And Uriah said to David, 'The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my Lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing'".

Observation:

David had slept with Uriah's wife and got her pregnant. He brought Uriah home from the battle so that he would sleep with her and later would think that the child was his. Uriah was such a man of honor that he would not go home and eat, drink or sleep with his wife while his men were still in battle. David, the king, was ordering him to go home and relax from the battle, but his integrity would not let him do it. He chose to do the right thing instead of the easy thing.

Application:

We may not be faced every day with the exact same circumstances, but very often we have choices to make between what is right and what is convenient. People like Uriah impress me as they choose to do the right thing over the easy thing. Like Uriah, we may be tempted with things that are not sin at all, just things that are not best for us. Good leadership does like Uriah and thinks about the others serving with them instead of only focusing on selfish pleasures.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to always do the right thing over the easy thing. I want to live a life that You can bless. Thank you for people like Uriah in whom we can see true integrity that goes deeper than what is right or wrong. Thank you for examples of self-sacrifice instead of self-indulgence. You never cease to amaze me!

Jeff