ODJ: clear of corruption


May 5, 2013 

READ: Psalm 26:1-12 

Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart (v.2).


An advisor I recently consulted was highly recommended by a large, established Christian organisation. At first I had a positive experience with him as he helped me navigate the complicated immigration laws in Uganda. The second time around, however, the man literally took my money and ran. When I called the organisation that had referred him, a representative said, “He started out good but went astray. Stay away from him. He’s dangerous.”


I ultimately learned that the man I hired had got involved in paying and receiving bribes to boost his business. His turn to corruption demonstrated the truth of Exodus 23:8, “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.”


Bribery negatively affects people regardless of their occupation. When a person attempts to gain through dishonest means, his or her actions lead down a treacherous path. In fact people who seek to steal from us, believing that bribery is the only way to achieve a desired outcome, are embracing sin. There’s no way to gloss over it. The psalmist writes, “Their hands are dirty with evil schemes, and they constantly take bribes. But I am not like that; I live with integrity. So redeem me and show me mercy” (Psalm 26:10-11).


If people suggest that we deal dishonestly or engage in bribery, it’s important that we reject their requests immediately and cling to verses like Psalm 25:5, “Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.”


Call to God, saying, “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me . . . to the place where You live” (43:3).—Roxanne Robbins