A believer that follows Jesus is expected to be at par with His integrity...but that's not always the case. We are fallen creatures with sin centered intentions with our everyday interactions. Integrity is a far fetched idea and nearing its extinction. Nothing in us can ever produce perfect righteousness and perfect justice...we just don't have it in us. Therefore, integrity is just a big word that people seldom use to show the vastness of their vocabulary. But what is integrity?
A pastor-teacher in our church said it this way, "integrity is what you do when people are not looking!" Your thoughts, speech and actions when you are alone simply shows the character of your soul...your integrity. Is it really that simple? yup...but acquiring integrity is a different league in itself. When we are alone, the only authority we submit to that is divinely instituted is our free will...and our volition submits under the stored norms and standards that our conscience holds. Our choices are based on whatever standards we have acquired in our daily living. If our lives are spent conforming and compromising, then our conscience will retain the same standard...that's why we are commanded to do the exact opposite in Romans 12:2.
True integrity is based on something that is absolute and perfect. God is the only stable being who is absolute and perfect...therefore, God is the source of our integrity. But who can know the mind of God? That's what Paul rhetorically asked the people in Corinth...of course the answer is obvious! God has provided His word that prophets and apostles consistently marketed...acquiring wisdom begins with respect and acknowledgement of God's Word as the authority.
Integrity is the heart of every spiritual know-how that we intend to apply. It is the most important element in our relationships. It is the common ground of impersonal love. Never underestimate the importance of Integrity. Let us commit ourselves to integrity.
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