Integrity & Sincerity 诚信与诚意
Author : Bro Goh Hun Keng
Translate : Sis Charis Ong
“the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. ”
When gold ore goes through purification in the heat of the furnace, it attains its noble appearance in its pure form. When rough diamonds from the mine, picked for their clarity, undergo cutting and polishing, they become precious stones. Both rare items are precious, and worthy to be worn by royalties and individuals of high status. When people discover a rare item, they will be attracted by its purity and flawlessness, and thus cherish it as a treasure.
People of the world accord high importance to royalties and dignitaries, and even though they can be considered as ‘rare’, they are not without blemish, and they do have their weaknesses and flaws. They are just classified as nobilities by worldly standards. Christians, however, are a chosen race, noble and set apart to be in the royal priesthood, made holy and righteous by the blood shed by Christ when He redeemed us. Therefore before the world, we must carry ourselves in a respectable manner and be of irreproachable character. This is even more so for leaders.
In a person’s dealing, two qualities of the character are of special interest to people:
1. Integrity
To put it specifically, a person with integrity will, in his dealings, neither bend his moral values nor compromise in matters of justice. What he has promised, he will fulfil; and he will at all times maintain fairness and honesty, not succumbing to external pressures.
2. Sincerity
This is something that is easily felt in interpersonal interaction. For those who are serving, if they are hopeful for appreciation, they will usually be met with disappointment. Yet, for those who are being served, they desire to feel the sincerity of the other party. In all matters, whether big or small, if we lack sincerity in helping others and merely go through the actions, we will reap no fruit. As such, Paul says, “the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. “
Though we may be a chosen race that are saved by grace, we still need to be purified, cut, and polished, allowing God’s word to shape our character into one that is acceptable in God’s sight, and become a useful vessel. Only then, may we set our feet on the path of the life of treasure beings.
文:吴汉卿弟兄
“施舍的，就当诚实；治理的，就当殷勤；怜悯人的；就当甘心。爱人不可虚假。”
当金子在熔炉里被煅烧成为纯金后就会显得尊贵，矿山开采上来的粗钻石，经过拣选出高纯度而透明无瑕疵的这类钻石，再加以切割磨光处理后，就形成尊贵的钻石。这两样稀有贵重的宝物，都配得戴在君王显达身上。当人们发现一件稀有物品时，对它的纯真又无瑕疵，会特别喜爱珍惜，视为珍品。
世人也把君王高官显要，视为尊贵人物，虽然他们也可算是稀有族类，但并非没有瑕疵，也会有人性的弱点和缺点，并不完美。只是世俗的价值观把他们列入尊贵的位置。但我们却是被拣选的族类，尊贵且可成为君尊的祭师，在基督救赎宝血的洁净下，而成为圣洁，公义。因此，我们在世人眼中，必须要具有被人尊敬的行为和无可指责的品格。当领袖的更应当如此。
在许多处事为人的品格质量中，两个素质是世人所关注的：
㈠ 诚信：具体来说，一个有诚信的人，他会持守正确道德价值观，处理正义的事不会妥协，承若过要做的事，会尽责去执行，不为外在压力的影响，保持公正和诚实。
㈡ 诚意：这是在人与人交流之间最容易感觉到的行为。服侍人者若是期待有感激的回应，往往会感到失望。受服侍的却想感觉对方是否有诚意的帮助。若帮助人心里缺少诚意，只是外在的行为，无论大小事，必然不得其果。故此，保罗说：“施舍的，就当诚实；治理的，就当殷勤；怜悯人的；就当甘心。爱人不可虚假。”
我们虽然因蒙受基督的救恩而成为尊贵的族类，但还是需要不断的切割磨练和煅烧，就是要籍着神的话，来塑造为合乎神心意的品格，成为可用的器皿，才能名副其实的走进尊贵人生的道路。