Verse of the day
Jeremiah 17:10 - But I, the Lord , search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.
There once was a King with no children who needed a successor for the throne. When word got out throughout the Kingdom, many young boys gathered outside the palace for an opportunity to become the next King.
The King, seeing the crowd outside, prepared a task that would determine who would be the rightful successor as King. The task would take exactly one year.
Within the palace walls was the King's garden. A true pride and joy. The task was for every boy to receive one seed from the King and come back in one year to judge the growth of each plant.
So the King invited every young boy wishing to become his successor to receive one seed. He addressed all of the candidates, "Take your seed, plant it in the finest soil you can find, give it water, sunlight and return here in one year for all of you will be judged and only one of you will become the next King."
Excitedly, all of the boys ran home and planted there seeds in small cups. Within a couple of weeks all of the boys could see a small sprout coming up from the seed, except one - Jeffrey.
Jeffrey had chosen good soil from his Dad's garden. He watered his seed regularly and gave it lots of sunlight but could not see any sprouts coming up from the cup.
Worried, young Jeffrey asked his father, "Why isn't my plant growing?" His father said, "Be patient Jeffrey, continue to do what the King has asked."
Weeks turned into months and still nothing. There were rumblings around the Kingdom of boys who had already transplanted their plants into larger pots.
Jeffrey was worried. His seed would not grow no matter what He did. He cried out to his father, "My seed will not sprout, my plant will not grow. I've used the best soil I could find, I've watered and gave the seed plenty of sunlight and still nothing!"
His father came over to the cup to inspect what Jeffrey had done and said, "Young Jeffrey, you are doing what the King has asked, continue on until the end."
Saddened by his father's response, Jeffrey continued to do what they King requested. More months had passed and every young boy who received a seed was to present their plant to the King.
As all of the boys brought large potted plants. Some had to drag their plants to the palace. Jeffrey was ashamed and nervous about presenting his failed attempt to grow the seed.
The King could see many large potted plants. He slowly walked by every boy as their chests puffed out in pride. Some plants measured three, four and even five feet tall.
When the King approached Jeffrey, all of the boys began to laugh. ''Silence!" the King exclaimed. He bent down and examined the small cup Jeffrey had brought.
"Interesting. What happened here?" the King asked. Embarrassed, Jeffrey replied, "Your Highness, I planted my seed in the finest soil I could find. I watered the seed and gave it plenty of sunlight. Forgive me as my seed did not grow."
The King said nothing and finished up reviewing all of the plants. "I have reviewed the progress and I can see how diligent each of you were with the care of your seed. Jeffrey, please approach the throne," said the King.
Jeffrey approached as the King reached for the cup containing the seed. He dug in and pulled out the seed. He held up the seed for everyone to see and said, "I have chosen my successor. Jeffrey will become the next King".
Jeffrey looked up bewildered at what he was hearing.
The crowd gasped in disbelief. Everyone started grumbling. "Silence everyone,' the King exclaimed. "You all received a seed. And you all brought back plants of every kind, except one - Jeffrey. You see, the seeds I gave everyone were boiled to the point they would no longer grow. It is because of his integrity that Jeffrey will become King."
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This fable can teach us truth about integrity. During my interview for my last job, my boss asked me what I thought integrity was and how important is it.
I said, integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking and it's vitally important to one's character.
We can put on a good face. We can act like we care. We can even have hidden motives. But we cannot pretend or hide things from God. He sees our heart. He knows our desires.
Just as young Jeffrey strived to do the right thing, even when things go wrong, he was rewarded. Our King, Jesus Christ, sees our hearts and minds. He knows our motives. Our integrity is vital to our character. We will be rewarded according to what our actions deserve. Are we living a life of honesty and integrity or are we living a secret life with hidden motives. God knows and will judge us accordingly.
Heavenly Father, You see my heart, my thoughts and actions. May I have integrity in all things. I pray for protection from evil that can plague my mind. Give me strength, Lord, to do the right things according to your will.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
