Integrity Under Pressure

2 Samuel 11:11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. David was trying to work his way out of the web that he had spun, but he was stuck. If only Uriah had cooperated! What a horrible time for integrity, because it ruined David's genius plan to come out unscathed. Of course from God's point of view, it was the perfect time for integrity, because the end result would bring David to repentance. From Uriah's perspective, integrity got him killed, and that's a little difficult to swallow. But Uriah's decision to live upright, even when the king tried to persuade him differently, leaves us an example to model after. It's one thing to say that integrity is important to you, but it's another thing to live it when the pressure is on. Are we willing to say no to the world and yes to God, even if that answer brings consequences? I believe that we can, we should, and we will, because He will give us the grace that we need when we need it. Just remember, doing the right thing doesn't always bring instant blessings. Sometimes it even brings persecutions. But our Father will reward us in more ways than we could ever imagine in the life to come.