What exactly is integrity? It's a word you've probably heard around church or school but do we really know what it means?
In the devotion I've been reading, integrity is defined as, "being honest and trustworthy" or from a Christian perspective," living and speaking based on what God says is right." So what does it look like for me to live a life of integrity?
Living a life of integrity isn't difficult. In a nutshell, it's reading God's word and doing what it says. It means that everything we say and do should reflect Him. God created us to receive moral and ethical principles from Him and if we go looking for those things anywhere else, we'll end up empty. Making up our own morals and principles isn't really the truth. The only truth that will lead us in a life of integrity comes from Christ.
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Psalms 119:1
The Bible has a lot to say about people who walk in integrity. The Lord promises to shield those who walk in integrity and bless those who are honest. How awesome is that? By listening to God, doing what he says and personifying the heart of Christ, we get blessed with wisdom, and that knowledge will fill you with joy!
He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Proverbs 2:7-10
Integrity in itself is a gift to us from God. It's more precious than any riches and more important than our comfort. Seeing and believing God's word is the only way we can evaluate our values and morals and develop integrity.
But let's get real for a minute. It can be really difficult for me to live a life of integrity when there are people and situations that can make things more challenging than they already are. God's Spirit is the only thing that can help me create integrity but everything in the world can try to rob me of it. The people we are constantly surrounded by and the situations we find ourselves in are constantly trying to corrupt and compromise our integrity. The thing is, since the Lord's Spirit is the only way to gain integrity, we can't be born with it. We have to fight for it.
When we choose to follow or believe something that isn't Christ's truth, we're choosing to compromise our integrity. We compromise and justify our words and actions. Every time we justify, we blur the line between our truth and God's. It's like having black and white, then blurring the two to make gray. Our words are one of the easiest things to compromise. I gossip, tell white lies and exaggerate the truth. This is when the justification comes in to play. I begin by thinking that a little white lie isn't going to hurt anyone or that it's no big deal if someone gets hurt. My actions are also open to compromise and justification. For example, I start out by doing something small like taking credit for something I didn't do. I tell yourself that it's okay because I didn't much credit last time so it's okay to take the extra this time. Again, I'm blurring the line between black and white and making it gray.
With every excuse, compromise, and justification, God's truth and its position in our lives is adjusted. He looks at our heart and not the size of our compromise. Your motive behind the compromise means more to God than the compromise itself.
Fight for your integrity. Chase something that actually matters.
How do I fight for integrity?
Start by surrounding yourself with Godly people and root yourself in God's word. Being around the people of God and familiarizing yourself with the word of God will be the biggest help in the fight for integrity. We need people in our lives to keep us accountable for our actions and words. Accountability is hard but is key to taking responsibility for what we say and do. Fighting for integrity will also grow our capacity to face conflict and overcome obstacles in life. Just because you fight doesn't mean you'll always win. You'll fail and fall down many times.
Having a heart of integrity helps us recognize our shortcomings and reach out for God's grace and forgiveness. Integrity isn't something you either have or you don't. It's a lifestyle that we must choose to live out on a daily basis. We must be intentional about striving for God's truth and wisdom.
"Integrity characterizes the entire person, not just part of him. He is righteous and honest through and through. He is not only that inside but also in outer action." - R. Kent Hughes
A man that I believe has lots of integrity is Daniel. In the Bible, Daniel is known as a man of integrity because he had a choice to either conform to the Babylonian way of living (their truth) or take the high road by following Jesus (God's truth.) In the first chapter of Daniel, Daniel is in Babylon because the Babylonians seized Jerusalem. The King ordered Daniel and his friends to adopt the Babylonian diet. Daniel, not wanting to defile himself, asked that he and his friends be tested for 10 days by eating only vegetables and drinking water. How was Daniel supposed to stay lean and healthy if he only ate vegetables? Don't you need other sources of protein and all the other stuff that's good to eat? Like I mentioned before, when you trust God and do what he says, you'll be blessed. He gave Daniel the ability to interpret visions and dreams and gave him the opportunity to become part of the king's royal service. Because Daniel and his buddies obeyed God, he blessed them with his best.
Integrity is closely related to your character. Both are defined by your beliefs and morals. Therefore, your integrity or lack thereof is what people will see when they observe how you talk and how you act. Will they see Christ's reflection in you or will they see something else?
If you're really willing to give your all to God, I promise you he'll do the same.
"May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."
Numbers 6:24-26
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