It was 1991. We were living in Anderson, and my oldest son had a basketball tournament about an hour away in Laurens. I packed my three boys into our Honda Accord and off we went. As we arrived in Laurens, one of the gauges was going nuts. So, I stopped at an auto parts store and asked for help. The shop owner said, “Sir, we don’t have a Honda shop in Laurens.” I then asked for a recommendation for a mechanic who might look at the car. His diagnosis was, “Look, I can’t find any problems. I think it’s a bad sensor. I think your gauge is reading the wrong way.”

The tournament ended, and it was time to go home. I now had a choice to make. I could take the mechanic’s word that the gauge was bad and ignore it, hoping to make it home, or I could drive and break down. In my foolishness, I took the mechanic’s advice, ignored the gauge, and blew an engine somewhere between Laurens and Anderson.

God gives us gauges to tell us how we are doing. Sin is not isolated, so God gave us the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and those who love us as gauges to convict us of areas of sin that keep us from walking in integrity and therefore finishing our course with joy.

God calls His servants not just to avoid moral failure but to a comprehensive integrity that reaches every part of life. Job stands as one of Scripture’s clearest examples of this whole-life righteousness. God Himself described him as “My servant … a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1,8; 2:3).[1] While Job is well-known for making a covenant with his eyes (31:1), the chapter paints a sweeping portrait of his commitment to integrity in many areas: his relationships, leadership, compassion, finances, and even his private thoughts.

If we are to persevere in integrity to the end of our ministry, we need to examine our entire lives. Are we walking worthy in all areas? Where are we ignoring or turning off the gauges? Where are we in trouble? As we study this portrait of Job, let’s examine our own hearts.

Job’s first commitment is to the reality of God in his life (31:1–4)

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?” (31:1) Job has a purity in his desire that flows from a deep conviction of the reality of God and His omniscience: “Does He not see my ways and number all my steps?” (31:4) God is in his life. Job is well aware that He sees all Job’s steps.

Job is committed to total honesty (31:5–6)

If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
Let Him weigh me with accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.

We need to strive for total truth in everything we do, with absolutely no deceit. We can cloak things in a certain way so we’re not telling the truth, and that is called deceit. Are we committed to total honesty?

Job is committed to contentment (Job 31:7–8)

If my step has turned from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,
Let me sow and another eat,
And let my crops be uprooted.

Most commentators say “any spot has stuck to my hands” has something to do with being a thief or stealing, as in “my heart is following my eyes” or “I’ve stolen something.” I believe contentment best captures the essence of these verses. If my eyes start wandering and I begin desiring something else, then I’m not content. But someone who is committed to contentment says, “No, I don’t need that.” Job was a man who feared God in all his ways. He was content.

Job is committed to marital faithfulness and purity of heart (Job 31:9–12)

If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
May my wife grind for another,
And let others kneel down over her.
For that would be a lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.
For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon,
And would uproot all my increase.

Even if Job sinned in his heart, that deserves judgment. Are we desiring marital faithfulness? The wife of my youth is the one I’m to be satisfied with (see Proverbs 5:19). Am I committed to my wife? Is my heart pure? What gauges should be going off if we wander in this way: judgment, a crime, an iniquity, a fire that consumes to destruction? We must be committed to marital faithfulness, not just physically but also in our hearts.

What are some ways you can guard your marriage to make sure your heart is warm and your covenant is strong with your wife? How does a man maintain a one spirit union with his wife? What are some practical measures you can put in place, so you prevent any gap from being there? How do you develop transparency?

I text my wife all the time. We text a lot, even at home, because my office is located at one end of the house and hers is at the other end. But texting isn’t enough. I need to pursue the relationship and spend time with her. If we don’t live with our wives in a wise and understanding way, Peter says our prayers will be “hindered” (see 1 Peter 3:7).

I’m going to tell you what my wife and I did by default. When I started my MDiv program and owned a business, we had four children. I was fearful of losing my marriage during seminary. Our pastor warned us of this. I looked at my schedule—I love calendars, I mean I love calendars—and figured I had 15 minutes each day when I could talk to her. That’s it, I had 15 minutes! So, we had a rule. I’d come in from work, and we’d eat dinner.

At that time, Andy Griffith was on the public television station. We told the kids, you have to be dying if you come back into the kitchen. I don’t mean you are simply bleeding (we have three boys). I mean, you have to be at death’s door to interrupt us. You know what we found in those 15 minutes? I literally said, “Okay, go.” Our marriage did not survive. It thrived. It thrived. And when I do marriage counseling today, I give this assignment. In addition to memorizing verses and working through a passage, I say, spend 15 minutes a day for every five out of seven days uninterrupted with your spouse. What do you think is the most neglected project? The 15 minutes.

Men, you cannot live with your wife in an understanding way unless you know her, and communication is part of that. We must allow no space in our hearts for another woman. Our spirits must be one. This is where the covenant made with your wife before God becomes strongest when there’s no space for any other person. If you are not talking to your spouse on a regular basis, you’re not going to finish well. We must desire time with our wives. We must desire that communication. This is part of our qualifications as a minister of the Gospel (see 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1).

Job is committed to equity and justice (31:13–15)

Job treated people the same. This includes people with whom you do business.

Job is committed to compassion and generosity (31:16–23)

These verses teach us to give to the poor, the widow, and the orphan. Job had orphans around his table, implying a long-term commitment to generosity. Let my shoulder fall from its socket and let my arm be broken off (verse 22) reminds us of Christ’s teaching of radical amputation. How soon will we act when the need for compassion arises?

One of the highlights of the past year was when Ellen Doyle was near the end of her life. Ellen was the second missionary our church ever took on, and we visited her on the field. She became like a daughter or sister to us. We went to visit Ellen at the Broeres’ home, where she spent her last days. I thanked them for opening their home and asked, “How did that happen?” Jerry said, “Well, you know, we found out at church that Ellen needed a place to go. Within two days she was in our home.”  That’s compassion.

Compassion preaches a message. The Broeres preached a message to me. Ellen didn’t even know we were there because she was so close to the end of her life. But that’s not the point. The Broeres were preaching a message to Ellen’s family, loved ones for whom we had all prayed since the minute we began supporting Ellen. Men, please don’t say we don’t have time to do it. Don’t expect others to meet the need. May we commit ourselves to compassion.

Job is committed to contentment, not pursuit of wealth, and God on the throne (31:24–28)

If I have put my confidence in gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
If I have gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
If I have looked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

What is the opposite of materialism? Contentment. Verse 26 describes idols of the heart. We all have them. I was saved at Clemson University. I was discipled by Campus Crusade for Christ, and they had a saying, “What is on the throne of your heart?” Is it God? I will never forget that.

The gauge is going off. So, we have to ask, what idols of our heart are we allowing? What is replacing the worship of the one true God? What are some idols that missionaries and pastors must guard against? Success. Fear of man. What are you spending your time on? What sins are you willing to commit to get what you want? Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We must guard against idols of our hearts.

Job is committed to hospitality or love for enemies (31:29–32)

If someone were to ask you to list all the unreconciled relationships you have in your life, who would be on it? When a pastor is alienated from all his kids and they want nothing to do with him, those relationships are unreconciled. That is a problem.

How do you learn to love your enemies? Are you praying for those who did you wrong? Are you actively doing good to them? Have you tried to be reconciled? What unreconciled relationships do you have?

Job is committed to having a clear conscience before God and man (31:33–37)

Have I covered my transgressions like Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, …

Job was open and honest. Let me ask you this. When you’re in the pulpit on Sundays, is your conscience clear? Do you serve the Lord’s Table with a clear conscience? How can we serve the Lord’s Table when we’re not reconciled with our wives or children? To me, this is the beauty of the Lord’s Table, not just for the congregation but oh, so much more for us! It prompts us to examine ourselves for hidden sins.

Several of us in the interim program were dealing with two pastors in conflict who had served side by side. For two years, they were unreconciled. I had one question: “How did you both serve the Lord’s Table together when you’re not even speaking to each other?” They had become deeply hardened. God has set up the Lord’s Table to help us keep short accounts with Him. Make sure you spend time before the Lord examining yourself before you serve the Lord’s Table.

One of the key things for us as we try to walk worthy is to examine ourselves. Am I fearing God and walking in integrity as Job did? Am I listening to the gauges in my life or ignoring them or turning them off?

If you go back to Job 1:8: “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.’”  So, will we finish well?