The Church Mouse: Seeds of Integrity
The Church Mouse: Seeds of Integrity
“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” – Proverbs 10:9
Today I would like to share this old folktale with you.
Once upon a time, there lived a king who was love by all his people. He was a wise and honest ruler. But he was also old, and had no heir to take his place when he died.
So the king decided to hold a contest so that he might choose a successor. So he sent out a decree for all the kingdom’s children to gather at his palace. When every boy and girl had arrived, the king placed them all in a line and gave to each of them a seed.
“Take this seed and plant it in good soil.” He commanded, “In one year’s time, return to the palace with your plant. I will examine how much they have grown and how well you have cared for them, the one who impresses me the most will become the new king.”
So the children went back to their homes. In the mean time the whole kingdom waited eagerly for a year to pass.
On the day of their return, a large crowd gathered at the palace to try and guess which plant the king would choose.
Some of the children appeared holding giant flowers with strong stalks, others had beautiful blooms that smelled very good.
The king examined each of them with great interest until he came upon a boy holding nothing but a pot of dirt.
What have we here?” asked the king, “Didn’t I tell to go plant your seed and return with it in a year’s time?”
“My king,” the boy answered softly, “I did everything you told me to do. I planted your seed in the best soil I could find. I gave it plenty of sunlight, and made sure it was watered every day, but it wouldn’t grow no matter what I did. So I’ve brought you all I’ve managed to accomplish, please forgive me.”
The king smiled broadly and raised his voice to address the crowd, “The contest is over. This boy shall become my heir. The seeds I gave the children a year ago had been cooked. So they could never have grown or bloomed. Many children brought me beautiful plants today, but only one came with integrity, and for that he shall be rewarded.”
This is the world live in today. A world that puts a lot of value in how things look to others. However that is not what God is looking for. God sees what’s inside of our hearts. God wants followers who speak honestly and live with integrity. When we live a lifestyle that honors the truth, we’re living a life that honors God.
Let’s pray – “Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a just and true God. Thank you for loving us even when we are foolishly thinking we can deceive you. Help us to be honest and truthful in all that we say and do. Guide and direct us in your ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
the Church Mouse
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