Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.
For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:12–14
When Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he was writing with a deeply personal tone—reflecting on his ministry, his decisions, and the heart behind them. He wanted the church in Corinth to understand not just what he had done, but why he had done it. And in doing so, he shares a powerful and moving insight into how he lived.
In fact, in the very first chapter, he gives us a powerful verse—one that has stayed with me since I first underlined it in high school. This is what he wrote in Chapter 1, verse 12:
Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.
That line stirs something inside me every time I read it. All throughout Scripture, there are declarations of truths I hope will be said about my life when it’s over:
That my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27).
That I completed the good works God prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).
That I fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).
That the Lord might say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
This little known verse, in 2 Corinthians, is on that list.
What a beautiful thing to be able to say at the end of your life:
That I lived in the world with integrity and godly sincerity.
That I didn’t rely on worldly wisdom or ambition or ego, but on the grace of God.
That I lived a life I could stand behind.
And notice, this isn’t something Paul says others affirmed about him. It wasn’t a tribute written in his honor. It was something his own conscience testified to.
That’s a different kind of reward. To reach the end of your days and know, deep in your soul, that you were honest before God. That your motives were true. That your heart, however imperfect, was sincere. You can’t fake out your conscience—it must be earned through integrity and character.
Of course, a declaration like that isn’t just made at the end of a life—it has to be built one day at a time.
It requires us to examine our hearts today. To ask: Am I walking in integrity? Am I being sincere in my relationships? Am I relying on the world’s wisdom, or God’s grace?
The world has plenty of definitions for success—almost all are outward and external. But God looks deeper. He sees motives, sincerity, faith, and trust.
And only when we anchor our lives in Him—daily and prayerfully—can we arrive at the end with a clear and peaceful conscience.
So today, let Paul’s words be more than a sentence you underline. Let them become a life you live.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for seeing what no one else does. Help me live with integrity and humility—faithful and true for all the right reasons. I love you today. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.