Honesty Must Be Laid As The Foundation Of All Personal Excellence.

"Good people are guided by their honesty; treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty." Proverbs 11:3 (NLT)

While the shepherds' hearts were flooded with great joy, the rest of Bethlehem slept, unaware that the true Savior of the world had come, wondrously called, "The Way, The Truth, and The Life." How can we excel in any area of life without possessing the awesome virtue of honesty? We must be truthful with where we are, where we want to go, and with our Creator. When we walk in honesty, it causes us to progress in life like never before, and likewise prevents us from going backwards. As we cultivate honesty in our lives, excellence is a daily by-product. Many times, people are unwilling to be honest with where they are in life because they know the report would be dismal. Remember, we cannot disregard our actions of disobedience and then haughtily claim we are the righteousness of God. When we evaluate our present position, we discover the truth hidden in the preconceived actions of yesterday.

Examining ourselves causes us to come to grips with the truth. When we embrace the truth our actions declare of us, we begin to move in the direction God desires for us. We cannot change what we don't know. We can only move forward as we are willing to change. God Himself placed leaders over us who see the weaknesses we possess. They understand if our weaknesses are not addressed, our progress comes to a halt. Our leaders prove their love by their willingness to tell us the truth at the cost of our disliking them. Truth hurts, but it liberates us if we learn to embrace it. Ask yourself, and ask those above you, exactly what you need to change. Your response determines the excellence in which you walk.

Daily Confession
Father, I thank You that I am guided and directed by honesty. I choose to be honest with You, myself, with those You place above me.