Happiness Is A Product Of Living With Integrity And Being Trusted

In review of Proverbs 25:13 it says, “Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat — refreshing!”

Bottom Line:Be reliable and trustworthy to others, then you will be like a cool drink on a hot day, bringing refreshment.

What this means to me:I need to be a reliable and trustworthy messenger to others, always coming through, doing what I say I will do. Then I can be like a cool drink on a really hot day, refreshing for them. What I’m learning is that the more I can be trusted and relied upon by others, the happier I’ll be. If others can’t trust me, I’ll end up living a miserable life. To be happy, I’ll need to be somebody that people can trust. Paul used Timothy as an example of this: “You know the kind of person Timothy is. You know he has served with me in telling the Good News, as a son serves his father” (Philippians 2:22 NCV). Paul had seen Timothy in action, in all kinds of circumstances, and he considered him genuine, trustworthy, and reliable. God’s Word translation says, “You know what kind of person Timothy proved to be.” So the question for me is, “do people know what kind of person I am? Have I been proven trustworthy like Timothy was?” People being able to count on me is much like buying a house. When I go to a mortgage broker for a loan, they’re going to do a credit check. They want to know if I’m worthy of being trusted with credit. Did I pay your bills on time? Did I have a track record of keeping my word? Can I be depended on to pay this money back? Am I creditable? In reality, everybody around me is doing a credit check on the life I lead and my actions. They want to know if I am what I say I am, and if I do what I say I will do. Being trustworthy and reliable bring happiness to relationships. In order to develop and maintain a reputation of reliability I need to do two things:. I live with integrity. Integrity does not mean I’m perfect. It means that what others see is what they are going to get. I’m the real deal, because my actions will match my words. Proverbs 25:13 says, “Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat — refreshing!” (MSG) Will my friends be able to rely on me to be the person I claim to be?. I keep my promises. Psalm 15:4 says, “They always do what they promise, no matter how much it may cost” (TEV). This means I keep a promise, even when I find out it’s going to cost me more than I thought.Learning to live with integrity and keep my promises will show others that I can be trusted and this will in turn allow me to be much happier. Being a reliable friend also means having others in my life that I can be close enough with to be open and honest, sharing what I’m learning, getting and receiving Biblical perspective to. This is what I think will be the most refreshing.  Someone who can speak the truth into my life and mine into theirs. Being trustworthy means that those around me can rely on my being true to any commitments or serving their needs. As I look back at life before becoming a Christian, integrity was something I struggled with. It was very easy for me to say one thing but then secretly do another. Integrity was something that God worked with me on when I became a Christian. I made it my mission statement to “live with integrity and make a difference in the lives of others.” I believe that I have been able to live up to this for the most part, but know that I still need God’s help to continue to succeed in this. Integrity to me, means to be the same whether someone is looking or not.