INTEGRITY KEEPERS

How many sparrows died yesterday?
Nobody knows, and probably few people care​—there are so many birds.
God, however, does care.

Referring to these apparently insignificant birds, Jesus told his disciples:

“Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” He added: “Have no fear: you are worth more than many sparrows.”​—Matthew 10:29, 31.

Later the disciples understood more clearly how much God valued them. One of them, the apostle John, wrote:

“By this the love of God was made manifest in our case, because God sent forth his only-begotten Son into the world that we might gain life through him.” (1 John 4:9)

God not only provides the ransom but also assures every one of his servants:

“I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you.”​—Hebrews 13:5.

Clearly, God's love for his people is unshakable.

However, the question arises,

Are we so attached to God that we will never leave him?

Satan’s Attempts to Break Our Integrity.

When Jehovah drew Satan’s attention to Job’s course of integrity, Satan retorted:

“Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it?” (Job 1:9, Today’s English Version).

He implied that humans’ loyalty to God depends exclusively on ‘what they can get out of it.’ If this were true, any Christian’s integrity could be compromised​—provided the offer was sufficiently tempting.

In Job’s case, Satan initially claimed that Job’s loyalty to God would vanish if he lost his most cherished possessions.
When this slur proved to be false, Satan alleged:

“A man will give up everything in order to stay alive.” (Job 2:4, TEV)

While Satan’s claim may be true of some, Job refused to compromise his integrity. The historical record bears that out. (Job 27:5; 42:10-17)
Do you have similar loyalty?
Or would you let Satan break your integrity?

Think about yourself as we examine some truths that involve every Christian.

The apostle Paul believed that true Christian loyalty can be very strong.
He wrote:

“I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor things now here nor things to come . . . nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38, 39).

We can have a similar conviction if our love for God is strong. Such love is an indestructible bond that not even death can conquer.

If we have such a relationship with God, we will never ask, ‘Will I still be serving Jehovah in a few years’ time?’
Such uncertainty would suggest that our loyalty to God depends on what might happen to us during the course of our life.

True integrity is impervious to external circumstances. It depends on the sort of person we are inside. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) If we love God with all our heart, we will never fail him.​—Matthew 22:37; 1 Corinthians 13:8.

We must remember, however, that Satan is constantly seeking to break our integrity. He might tempt us to succumb to the desires of the flesh, cave in to peer pressure, or let adversity of some sort cause us to abandon the truth.

The world alienated from God is Satan’s principal ally in this attack, although our own imperfections make his task easier. (Romans 7:19, 20; 1 John 2:16)

Nevertheless, we do have several advantages in this battle, not the least of which is the fact that we are not ignorant of Satan’s designs.​—2 Corinthians 2:11