Many of my consistent, intentional sins are permitted (by me) because I haven’t been punished and, unfortunately, most people don’t care about me sinning. Rather than living for the Lord because of who He is, I rather live for what I can “get by” with which = lame, diluted Christianity. So something helpful for my walk with the Lord and cutting away the crap that lingers is living by the higher integrity of God rather than my own idiotic cause-effect applications. This is called “straight-up honoring the Lord” and for the most part, I suck at it. Solomon writes concerning this frustration in Ecclesiastes 8:12. “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and preserves his life, I yet know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before Him.” Solomon, in his observation of righteous and wicked people, realizes that the wicked sometimes make out much better than the righteous. What’s up with that?! Seems unfair. BUT HE DOESN’T CARE AND DOESN’T LET THIS WEAKEN HIS LIVING FOR THE LORD. When we think and act in contrast to Solomon’s conclusion, we’ve made too worldly our outlook and not considered the joy and honor of living for God (even when it hurts) rather than what “gets us by”. We can trust God. To fear God is to obey Him regardless because we, as humans, cannot invert our place of humility before Him though we try. If we are mature in faith, our potential consequences one way or another should not change our actions if God has commanded something. We, actually trusting God as greater than what we see, should live by HIS higher integrity rather than what “we can get away with”. Sad that I think I feel entitled to call the shots with such ease. Forgive me Lord; You are Lord, not me.