Proverbs 28.6
“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
Ephesians 4.1
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”
Your integrity is a priority. These two verses–one in the OT book of Proverbs and one in the NT book of Ephesians–make it clear the Lord calls us to walk in integrity.
Consider Ephesians 4.1. This verse marks a key transition in Paul’s great letter to the Ephesians. Where chapters 1-3 focus on who we are in Christ, chapters 4-6 focus on how we are to live in response to who we are. The first three chapters are orthodoxy; the last three are orthopraxy.
What the Lord calls us to do in Chapters 4-6 is based on who we are in Christ as described in Chapters 1-3. Our position in Christ is the foundation for our practice.
Note that Paul references he is a prisoner. But amazingly, his perspective is not that he is imprisoned by the Romans, nor does he complain that he was arrested because of false accusations by Jewish leaders. Paul’s view is that he is a prisoner for the Lord. He believes that God is able to use his imprisonment to accomplish kingdom purposes. The kingdom of God is not restricted by a Roman jail.
Paul then tells us that God has called us, and he implores us to respond to God’s call. The question of “calling” is arguably the most important question a person can ask and answer. The equivalent question is: what is the central purpose of my life? As Os Guinness says, “We long to know that we are fulfilling the purpose for which we are here on earth. All other standards of success – wealth, power, position, popularity – ring hollow if we do not find and fulfill our purpose.”
God created us not just to live and work, but to live and work for a purpose. More specifically, the Lord created us to live and work for Him. That is the message of the book of Ephesians, indeed of the whole bible. The world tries to stimulate us with things and experiences, but the world cannot fulfill. It cannot provide true purpose. True fulfillment can only be found in responding to the call of the God who created us and who has redeemed us in Christ.
This is a key part of the message of Proverbs 28.6: “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
