HONESTY AND AN ATTITUDE OF PEACE WILL BE OF GREAT REWARD IN THE END!

“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”~Spenser Johnson
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the term honesty as; a : fairness and straightforwardness of conduct b : adherence to the facts : sincerity
So what keeps a person from revealing their conduct or character honestly? Many times it's the humiliation of sin that causes a person to disclose certain aspects of their character, perhaps it is from fear of condemnation or rejection from others. The Bible speaks of humility as an humbling experience; "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves "(Philippians 2:3). God knows our faults and there is nothing we can do to hide ourselves from Him, He also reminds us in scripture whatsoever we do in secret He will bring out into the open. When there is contention caused by someone wronging us through their words or actions, one can be more accepting of that person and maintain an amount of respect for a person that was willing to admit their faults and level with you honestly. Being a christian is not a road occupied by people who walk in perfection without mistakes, this is a skewed mentality. Hopefully as Christians we can honestly and boldly go before the Lord with an open heart and mind and privately confess our sins before God asking for His forgiveness. The Bible tells us repentance is necessary for forgiveness, but it is imperative that we also seek the Lord's help in the area's we fail. We must be honest with ourselves and those around us. If we have done wrong toward our brother or sister in the Lord, we have a responsibility to go to that person and honestly level with them your feelings. Sometimes we sweep our issues under the rug per say to avoid confrontation, this only causes the issues to build and inevitable there will be an explosion. That was why the Lord instructed us to go to whom ever we have offended and confess our wrong and ask them to forgive us. One of the hardest things to except from a person is dishonesty. Dishonesty destroys credibility, respect, trust, which destroys relationships and places a wall between us and God! Making deceitful vein excuses out of selfish or conceited ambition when wrong only causes war instead of peace! "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you"(Ephesians 4:31-32). HONESTY AND AN ATTITUDE OF PEACE WILL BE OF GREAT REWARD IN THE END! "Although I am less than the least of all of God’s people, this grace was given to me: to preach to the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ "(Ephesians 3:8). "I am not in the least inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am nothing "(2 Corinthians 12:11). My Pastor tells us when we mess up we should fess up, we must take responsibility for our own actions and discontinue the blame game on circumstances or other people. When we are wrong we should admit it. The mistakes we make do not necessarily define us, what defines us is how we handle ourselves when we make our mistakes. This show of character is what we will be remembered for. Showing godly attributes of our character that involves, humility, honesty, and a repented heart will only strengthen our relationship with God and the relationships we have with others. This creates mutual peace and understanding between God's people! I am a christian- one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ! Although, I am not perfect nor will I ever be, I will always strife to do my best and to be like Christ!
Always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. – 1 Timothy 1:19 NLT
Good people are guided by their honesty; treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty. – Proverbs 11:3 NLT