“The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.”

I sat with a group of men yesterday. They were talking about an organization they were a part of and some decisions that had to be made. In the course of the conversation, I listened as they discussed the leadership of their organization and how they were working to influence the outcome of those decisions in their favor. No one was bothered by their desire to see a particular outcome. What bothered them was how devious the leaders were being in trying to make that happen. What saddened me most was that, as they mentioned who this other group was, it turned out to be leaders of a large and influential church in our area. The reflection on their brand of faith was disappointing. The lengths they were willing to go to cover up some questionable uses of money and resources were bewildering to me—especially at the cost of their witness to the group of lost men I was with. I learned years ago that trying to be deceptive is tiresome. Keeping up with lies and manipulating others is exhausting and meaningless. As followers of God, we are to live honest, open, and upright lives. We are also to be willing to lose out on our desires in service and sacrifice for others. The lost world is watching—closely. Today, reflect the servant leadership of our Savior. #BeTheEdge

“so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky” Philippians 2:15 NIV