Discover Integrity

What God has Wanted from the Start

Oil pastel by Myra Alibrando “Alive & Beautiful”

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99-second Nature Narration (unrelated to Devotional) on how 100% of food reproduces to meet fuel needs for every living thing on earth.

Ideas are Bigger than Definitions

Integrity is losing a job because you refuse to be dishonest.

When you realize you believe two different things that cannot both be true, and it bothers you until you can make it right. That is integrity.

Integrity is refusing to lie even when others would never know you disagreed with them.

Integrity is watching mom spend hours cooking and feel it seems unfair for her to also clean up.

Integrity is the absence of hypocrisy.

Words have definitions, but often represent ideas. Words like truth, love, faith, religion, courage, and others are big ideas hard to contain in a definition. So I am sharing my idea on integrity.

Self-Righteous Egotist with a Bible

I was a very doctrinal young man, incorrectly confident that my right belief system made me a powerful piece in the kingdom of God. I corrected almost everyone and frequently waiting for the opportunity to bring my own light to the first thing someone said I might consider not 100% correct. I was unbearable and when confronted, considered it suffering for righteousness’ sake.

It was not until my early 30’s, having left Christianity finally seeing my boundless selfishness, I felt I was doing Christianity a great disservice. From age 25 to age 31, I referred to myself as a believer but not a Christian. After a dramatic return (another story), I soon realized what God was trying to build in me was character, not doctrine. “Character” is also more of an idea than a simple dictionary term. By character, I saw the big problem of who I was. I broke promises. I exaggerated. I did not volunteer. I liked positive and sometimes even negative attention. I liked feeling important. I didn’t like to work. I procrastinated. I always looked for an easier way. I felt especially entitled to reward if I did something morally right. I justified all my flaws to myself. Yikes! So many character flaws. This is the kind of guy, or the kind of character I was. Yet, I would have explained what a truly good guy I was, back then.

From Beliefs to Behavior

If not for an abundant sense of God’s personal love for me, and hope that He would help me change, I would have quit again.

I had many true beliefs. I knew many scriptures, but I lacked “character”. This was a huge revelation for me to know this was what God wanted to work on in me.

I found myself admiring men who were faithful to their wives. I got excited about guys who paid a high price to maintain their integrity and self-respect. I became of fan of guys who stood up to their own friends when those friends were thinking or doing the wrong thing. Growth is change. Change requires character and courage.

Scriptures Everywhere

Suddenly, all of these scriptures starting jumping out of the Bible showing me this is always what God is after with all of us. How did I miss this all those years?

“May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you.” Psalm 25:21

“In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity . . .” Titus 2:7

There are MANY more on the connected idea of righteousness, goodness, courage, and integrity. Turn up your radar when Bible reading and you will see it too.

We are not judged on what we believe, but on how we live and to God, motives are also important. The truth will not set us free if we are hypocrites or cowards.

Anybody can say they believe in God or love Jesus.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:19).

When young David killed Goliath, no one needed to ask if he had faith in God .because he exemplified it. He didn’t say he had faith in God, he risked his life telling Goliath that he would kill Goliath and deliver up the Philistines because they dared to defy the armies of the living God. All the men and King Saul standing in the audience behind him, believed the same, but not enough for any one of them to step onto the field to challenge Goliath. For a month they listened to Goliath’s insults and challenge to fight but no one stepped forward.

David and Goliath - all of 1st Samuel chapter 17 (enjoy the read)

The first day David was there and heard Goliath mock God and His people, he asked King Saul for permission to fight.

Again, David’s behavior revealed his beliefs. How can the soldiers and the shepherd believe the same and behave so differently? The answer is integrity.

David describes the righteous man of integrity in Psalm 15 who “swears to his own hurt” meaning if he made a promise and it turns out it will cost him more than expected, he will pay that promise anyway. That is integrity (verse4b).

He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart, Psalm 15:2

I strongly encourage reading Psalm 15. It is only 5 verses.

Some translations say “uprightly” rather than integrity, and that is the point. It isn’t the word, but the idea, the character of honest, uncompromising, dependable . . . a character of integrity.

Integrity Without Perfect Wisdom 100% Possible

None of us knows everything and therefore none of us can be 100% certain that we believe things 100% right. But we can have integrity. We can have sincerity. We can love. We can obey what commands we clearly understand. We can love truth. We can be courageous, even when we are wrong. Even if we never want to be wrong, we cannot avoid mistakes. We can be humble even if we think we are right, because that is what God wants.

Integrity is shrinking the gap between what you believe and what you do. Integrity is a not a single decision but a lifelong and worthwhile pursuit.

We have no hope if we play games with sincerity or try to learn how much sin we are permitted without going to hell. That is a lack of integrity.

There is a certain kind of loving, courageous person that will populate the kingdom, and we are all invited to become that kind of person.

“. . . we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4

Have a terrific week. God is rooting for you.

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