March 16, Ethical Skill

Today’s reading: Psalms 76-80

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them” - Psalm 78:72.

David was a great leader who, for the most part, had an ethical compass that kept him righteous along with skill that made him effective. For you to be truly successful, you will need both those components working in your life. Skill without ethics can make you proud, believing you can do anything in any way you want and it will go well. Ethics without skill makes you “nice” but without the ability to lead and make practical decisions. What’s more, you need to work on both of those areas, becoming the best you can be at what you do along with knowing the rights and wrongs of your trade or business. Notice what they said about Jesus: “They were utterly astonished, saying, ‘He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak’” (Mark 7:37). Do you do the things of your life well? How can you improve your skill level? And do you at least know the basic ethical directives in Scripture about your work and social world? How can you increase or grow in both areas?