The basics of this Christian life are never as simple as 1-2-3, but I firmly believe that if you were to focus on genuine love (with God & others), genuine faith, and having a genuine commitment to integrity you’ll be well on the way to maturity in Christ.
Over the last few weeks I’ve touched on what it means to be genuine, how this revolution begins with love, and is built on faith. This week we’re going to wrap up this series by dealing with the issue of integrity.
Let me suggest to you today, that to live the Christian life, you’ll need more than just love and faith. As vital and fundamental as they are, I think we’d all agree that as human beings, it is often very hard to maintain them. Life is not just about how well-intentioned you are when you start; its about how true you are to those intentions when you finish. This is where our genuine commitment to integrity comes in.
The simplest definition of integrity that I’ve heard is that it is “an integration between who we project ourselves to be to those around us, and who we truly are on the inside”.
Having a deep and genuine commitment to integrity is vital to living this Christian life, not just for a few weeks, but everyday for the rest of your life. Integrity (according to David McCracken) is “purity of thought, motivation, intention, attitude, speech and action”. Proverbs 11:3 states ‘The integrity of the upright will guide them’.
When you’re in the stickiest of situations… when the devil is tempting you the greatest… when there’s an easier way… when you know the hard decisions need to be made… when you just don’t feel like it… are you prepared? Do you have a deep set of convictions? What do they demand of you in that moment of decision?
This is not about what your friends would do, or your pastor would do, or what your worst enemy would do… what is it, based upon your love for God, your faith in His Word, and your commitment to integrity that you should do?
Sure it can be extremely hard, but that is why integrity demands that we are transparent with those we trust. Integrity ensures that the support structures are not only around us at all times, but that they are fail-safe. Integrity prepares for the worst – not in fear of the worst happening, but to ensure our success for the long haul.
Integrity is not a crutch for the weak or a sign of someone lacking in talent. Integrity is a hallmark of the wise and an excellent gauge of future success. Can you afford not to commit to living your life with integrity?
There’s a story of two brothers who were complete low lives. They did every kind of imaginable evil you can think of and always seemed to evade the law. One day the elder brother suddenly died. So the younger brother went to the local priest and said “I want you to take the funeral, however on one condition, that you call my brother a Saint”. The priest was offered a large sum of money, thought about it for a moment, and then agreed. At the funeral, the priest listed all the sins of the elder brother, sparing no detail in his description of how terrible he was, punctuated only by this statement “but compared to his brother, he was a Saint!”
See the world judges its level of integrity in comparison to others. As followers of Christ, we hold ourselves to His standard. What does the Word of God say? Ask the Holy Spirit, “what do you require of me in this situation?”
Let me encourage you today to know your convictions, write them down, fight for them, let them become the driving and motivating factors in your life, and watch how God with His grace will empower you to fulfill your destiny!
Don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll miss out if you stand for integrity on something. The truth is that if we honor God with our lives, He will honor us (John 12:26).
Sometimes in life when we’re faced with challenges, opportunities or simple everyday situations, its not just about doing the right things, but its about doing them for the right reasons. This is the message God has been challenging me with. It’s a call to be more genuine, and I’ve titled it ‘A Genuine Revolution’!
