Integrity
I would like to address the topic of integrity. We live in a society where integrity is not valued. It’s talked about it; people lift it up verbally, but it’s not what we see in the lives of many. Some cheat on their taxes and joke about it. Others live double lives. Still, others commit adultery and come home, acting as if everything is great with their kids and their spouses. Our culture is not prone towards integrity. We are trained to be polite, even if it means we are being dishonest. We talk to people and they say: “I’ll give you a call,” and yet, they never call. Some may say: “I will come to your Bible study group or Church,” yet, they never show up. And even as disciples, we may fall victim to this trend. A brother or a sister may come to us with a need or a challenge in their lives and we say to them: “I’ll pray for you!” because it is the polite thing to say. Yet, there is no integrity to carry it through.
God wants us to be men and women of integrity. In Matthew 5:33-37(NIV), Jesus said to those who had a problem with integrity the following: “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' (34) But I tell you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; (35) or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. (36) And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. (37) Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
In other words, Jesus was telling us to be a people of integrity. If you say you are going to do something, then do it! And if you are not going to do something, then don’t do it!
The Proverbs have a lot to say about integrity: In Proverbs 25:14 it says, “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.”
Proverbs 10:9 says, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”
Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”
And Proverbs 13:6, “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”
One of the biggest challenges we face today is being people of integrity. The dictionary defines integrity as having a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. Integrity is more than just being honest. Honesty is part of it, but it’s more than just being honest - it is an adherence to a moral or ethical code. The definition of integrity describes the Christian life.
In the Old Testament, King Saul had integrity, and then lost it. In 1 Samuel 11, Saul had zeal for God’s honor and defeated the enemies of God because he was a man of integrity. But, later on, Saul’s zeal for God’s honor grew cold and he lost integrity. He began to stray away from the Word of the Lord (1Samuel 13:8-14; 15:13-23) and even consulted mediums, instead of the Lord (1Samuel 28:7). Eventually, he committed suicide, because he was unfaithful (1 Chronicles 10:4, 13).
Let us not be like Saul, who lost integrity, which lead to the loss of his kingdom, and even his life. Let us be faithful and be people of integrity. Let us walk in the light of the Truth, as 1 John 1 teaches us! Let’s be zealous for God’s honor and may our love for God burn within our hearts.
May our words and lives bring honor to His name! :angel:
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Daily Devotional by Tom Smith / Wooddale Church of Christ
