Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
–Psalm 25:20-21
Daniel Webster is considered to be one of the most brilliant and eloquent statesmen of the nineteenth century. He was an American political idol. So much so that in 1831, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote,
Let Webster's lofty face
Ever on thousands shine,
A beacon set that Freedom's race
Might gather omens from that radiant sign.
But you see, Daniel Webster had political aspirations to become the President of the United States. So he sought the nomination of his party to become the president. And in order to gain the nomination, he changed his views on slavery. Where he had previously opposed slavery, he began to support it.
As a result, Webster was never elected president of the United States and his political star was shattered. Twenty-three years after Emerson had written his original words, he sadly penned these words concerning Daniel Webster.
Why did all manly gifts in Webster fail?
He wrote on Nature's grandest brow, “For Sale.”
For so many people today – even Christians – their integrity is for sale. They’ll make good decisions when there’s little on the line. But when it comes down to it, they’ll get ahead however they can.
Don’t put your integrity up for sale. Stick to your biblical convictions because the reward you’ll receive from God is much greater than anything this world will offer!
DON’T SELL YOUR INTEGRITY BY COMPROMISING WITH WHAT YOU KNOW IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
