Tag Archives: Integrity

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Integrity

Essential 100—Read:
Daniel 6:1-28

“‘O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” ~Daniel 6:21-23

Robert Freeman wrote, “Character is not made in a crisis—it is only exhibited.”  That is so true, and the great Old Testament character Daniel is Exhibit A of that truth. Daniel faced an imminent crisis of epic proportions—he was thrown into a den full of hungry lions—simply because of the daily practice of his faith in God. And you know the rest of the story: God yet again miraculously delivered this faithful old saint from his dilemma, exposed and deposed the enemies who put him there, and solidified Daniel’s reputation for integrity and place of influence in the government of the Medes and the Persians.

One of the salient points of this story is one that desperately needs to be considered in our day—by politicians, pastors, parents and simple salt-of-the-earth people like you and me. It is simply but profoundly this:

Daniel did not gain his famous integrity because of the lions’ den, the lions’ den was simply the stage on which his integrity was displayed.

Daniel’s courage under fire, his resolute response in the face of death, and uncompromising commitment to godliness under the pressure of accusation was based on a lifetime of living out in real life what he believed in his heart. As you read this story, you will notice four unimpeachable character qualities in Daniel:

Daniel was flawless in his work.  Verses 3-4 tells us, “Now Daniel so distinguished himself…by his exceptional qualities.  [They] tried to find grounds for charges against him in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.”  Daniel’s enemies looked for a crack, but couldn’t find one in his conduct.

Daniel was faultless in his integrity.  Verse 4 says, “They could find no corruption in him. ‘We’ll never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’”  His integrity was without question.

Daniel was fervent in his prayers.  Verse 10 reveals, “three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God…”

Daniel was faithful to his God.  In verses 21-23, Daniel answered, “‘My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouth of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and he gave orders for Daniel to be lifted out of the den.  And when he was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted his God.”

Daniel’s courageous response to the lion’s den was rooted in his rock-solid character. But not only that, his response was also calculated. It was deliberate and thought out. It was a conscious, premeditated act of faith. When he heard the king’s edict banning prayer to God, verse 10 says, “Daniel went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.  Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to the God of heaven.” Daniel clearly understood that the practice of his faith would land him in trouble.

And you will also notice that Daniel’s courageous and calculated faith was also consistent. The end of verse 10 reveals a very significant truth about the exercise of Daniel’s faith: “He prayed…just as he had before.”  Daniel wasn’t doing something that he hadn’t done all along. He didn’t wait until the crisis arrived to pull a response of faith out of the hat; he just did what was consistent with his walk with God. Daniel demonstrated what had been growing within all along—courageous, calculated, consistent character!

What was the result of Daniel’s courageous integrity? God displayed his incredible glory, a nation witnessed an undeniable miracle, and Daniel came away with a testimony for the ages.

By definition, maintaining your integrity will be difficult, but at the end of the day, it will be worth every ounce of pain and every personal sacrifice that it requires—even standing before a den full of lions licking their chops at the thought of you being their dinner. And when you face your lions’ den—and you will, whatever your lion’s den may be—with courage and conviction, God gets the glory and you will come away with an incredible testimony!

“If you have run with the footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with the horses?  If you fall down in the land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” ~Jeremiah 12:5

Reflect and Apply: Make sure you work on your integrity before you get to your lions’ den. How? It is not easy; it will take a lifetime of effort. But a good place to start is by going to God and asking for his help—to purify your character, to infuse you with courage, and to strengthen you to consistently display pure and courageous integrity.

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Blessable

Read Psalm 15

Featured Verse: Psalm 15:1

“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?”

What is it that makes us blessable?  We utter the phrase, “God bless you” without much thought to what makes us blessable, so just what is the life God blesses? Are the blessings of God automatic, or are they conditional?  Seriously, how do we get into the blessing zone of God’s overflowing and generous favor?

David couldn’t have spelled it out any clearer than in Psalm 15:  It is the life of integrity!  The person of complete integrity, which I realize, in the truest sense is redundant—spiritual, relational, financial, moral, intellectual, physical integrity—is the one upon whom God’s favor, power and provision will rest.

Now integrity is a word that gets thrown around a great deal these days—and that’s part of the problem:  It get’s thrown around instead of lived out.  So just what is integrity?  I think the simplest and best definition I know is this: The congruence of what you believe with how you behave.  For the Christian, it is the marriage of Biblical values, principles and world-view with our moment-by-moment attitudes and actions.  In short, it is to practice what we preach at all times and under every circumstance.

David provides some very specific areas of integrity that are absolutely critical to living under the blessing of God:

Moral Purity:  “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous.” (Psalm 15:2)

Compassionate Honesty:  “…who speaks the truth from his heart.” (Psalm 15:2)

Rejection of Destructive Opinion:  “…and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman.” (Psalm 15:3)

Revulsion of Evil People:  “…who despises a vile man.” (Psalm 15:4)

Promotion of Good People:  “…but honors those who fear the LORD.” (Psalm 15:4)

Ruthless Trustworthiness:  “…who keeps his oath when it hurts.” (Psalm 15:4)

Risky Generosity:  “…who lends his money without usury.” (Psalm 15:5)

Rigid Honor:  “…and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.” (Psalm 15:5)

Any person who lives organically, unbendingly and consistently this way will find themselves living, as Psalm 15:5 concludes, in the stability and security of the palm of the Heavenly Father’s hand:  “He who does these things will never be shaken.”

The tides of an increasingly nasty culture and the natural drift of our own falleness will make living out this kind integrity extremely difficult.  We will have to fight opposite currents every day, if not every moment of our lives.  But such a well-lived life will be worth it along the way and at the end of our journey.  It is the only way to live—because it is the life God blesses!

“Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.”  ~Oswald Chambers

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Nothing To Hide, Nothing To Fear

Read: Proverbs 10:9
(The Message)

Honesty lives confident and carefree, but Shifty is sure to be exposed.

Like my mom, your mom probably reminded you from time to time that “honesty is the best policy.” That value was drilled into in us from the very beginning in our homes. And over the years, whether we were living it out or suffering the consequences of violating it, we found that practicing honesty always resulted in what was best for us.  Honesty wasn’t always the easy road to travel; in fact, sometimes being honest had some unpleasant short-term consequences.  But in the end, telling the truth always proved to be right.

The Watchman Examiner once reported that when Senator Henry Clay was about to introduce a potentially unpopular bill back in the 1800’s, a friend said, “If you do, Clay, it will kill your chance for the presidency.” Clay asked, “but is the measure right?” And on being assured it was right, Clay said,  “I would rather be right than be president.” It’s the kind of character we all admire and long for in our leaders.

Proverbs calls that being a person of integrity.  Integrity is a word that is talked about a great deal in our society, but just what is it?  The dictionary defines it as fidelity to moral principles; honesty; soundness; completeness. A great working definition of integrity is who you are when no one is looking. The British poet Macaulay noted, “The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do, if he knew he would never be found out.”

The word integrity comes from the word integer, which refers to a whole number.  It is being a whole person.  It means there is a congruence between what you say you believe and how you actually live.  It is the marriage of what you say and what you do.

Proverbs 10:9 says that living as a person of integrity carries with it the priceless benefit of security:  “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” Or, as the Message says, “Honesty lives confident and carefree.” When you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

Integrity…honesty…wholeness!  What a tremendous way to live.  The person who values and practices integrity will live with confidence, no matter what!  They can expect to live under the blessing and favor of God. They will be unburdened from the pending doom of discovery.   And at the end of their days, they will be able to look back with satisfaction on a life of no regrets.

Integrity!  It’s not always the easy way. It’s not always the way that will bring popularity and promotion.  But in the end, it is the only life that can stand before the All-knowing Judge.

“No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character.”
~John Morely

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It:

Come on, now, be honest!  Is there anything you would change about you—attitudes, thoughts, actions—if it was exposed to the light of public view?   Why not go ahead and tackle those things before they’re exposed on the Day of Accounting!

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Psalm 41: Flawed But Forgiven

Read Psalm 41:1-13

Flawed But Forgiven

O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you…
In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.
(Psalm 41:4,12)

The juxtaposition of these two verses presents a problematic incongruence. It appears that David is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. On the one hand, he is connecting his personal sin with physical malady and public hostility. But on the other hand, he claims that it is his personal integrity that gives him favored status before the Almighty.

However, there is no incongruence for David—or for you and me. Yes, we are all helplessly flawed, but there is hope! You see, we can also be fully forgiven, and as a result, live under the high favor of God, if we are sincerely repentant for our sinfulness.

Living within God’s favor is not about sinless perfection. None of us will reach that lofty plane in this life. I wish we could—I especially wish I could. But because I have been fundamentally infected with sin, that will not happen until I reach heaven. I—and you—will continue to, as a good friend of mine was fond of saying, “dip ourselves in the yogurt” of sin until the day we die. And that sin will bring uncomfortable if not outright tragic consequences into our lives.

So how then can we claim a personal integrity that invites the attention, honor and favor of God? I would suggest there are three characteristics we can, and should cultivate, as David did, that will allow us as flawed people to be fully forgiven and highly favored:

First, we must cultivate self-awareness. Not an over-indulgence in introspection and self-absorption, but a healthy consciousness of both our strengths and weaknesses. I was recently speaking with a person about a relational crisis they were experiencing, and they were pouring out their heart about how difficult the other person was. When I asked them to share what flaws they brought into the troubled mix, I got a blank stare and an admission that they couldn’t think of any. That is not all that uncommon in troubled relationships. Although people are not always willing to be as honest as that person I had interviewed, many times they are simply unaware or unwilling to consider the pain and problems they are contributing to the situation. David was incredibly self-aware…and he often asked God to make him even more aware, painfully aware of his own flaws (see Psalms 26:2, 139:23-24). Maybe you should too!

Second, we must cultivate godly sorrow. Not self-pity, but godly sorrow. Self-pity leads only to depression; self-awareness without sorrow for sin brings only hopelessness, unproductive navel-gazing, and a pessimistic approach to life. However, as the Apostle Paul taught in II Corinthians 7:10-11, godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, while worldly sorrow brings only death. I think that was the secret to a seriously flawed David’s favor with God—he experienced deep sorrow for his sins. Perhaps we should ask God to break our hearts quickly anytime we think, say or do anything that breaks his heart.

And third, self-awareness and godly sorrow must lead to sincere repentance. I’m not taking about feeling bad that we’ve been caught in a goof or are having to “pay the piper” for our imperfections. I’m talking about confessing our offense, making amends when we should and can, and turning from our sinful actions by walking an opposition line toward holiness and kingdom fruitfulness.

Well, that’s a mouthful—but I think you get the picture. That’s how you can be a “deeply flawed person of integrity” and live under the full forgiveness and high favor of the Almighty. And hallelujah, that is only possible with the God we serve!

“God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He
has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.”
—Augustine

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Psalm 15: The Life God Blesses

Read Psalm 15

The Life God Blesses

“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?”
Psalm 15:1

What is the life God blesses? David couldn’t have spelled it out any clearer than in Psalm 15: It is the life of integrity! The person of complete integrity, which I realize, in the truest sense is redundant—spiritual, relational, financial, moral, intellectual, physical integrity—is the one upon whom God’s favor, power and provision will rest.

Now integrity is a word that gets thrown around a great deal these days—and that’s part of the problem: It gets thrown around instead of lived out. So just what is integrity? I think the simplest and best definition I know is this: The congruence of what you believe with how you behave. For the Christian, it is the marriage of Biblical values, principles and world-view with our moment-by-moment attitudes and actions. In short, it is to practice what we preach at all times and under every circumstance.

David provides some very specific areas of integrity that are absolutely critical to living under the blessing of God:

  • Moral Purity—Verse 2: “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous.”
  • Compassionate Honesty—Verse 2: “who speaks the truth from his heart.”
  • Rejection of Destructive Opinion—Verse 3: “and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman.”
  • Revulsion of Evil People—Verse 4: “who despises a vile man.”
  • Promotion of Good People—Verse 4: “but honors those who fear the LORD.”
  • Ruthless Trustworthiness—Verse 4: “who keeps his oath when it hurts.”
  • Risky Generosity—Verse 5: “who lends his money without usury.”
  • Rigid Honor—Verse 5: “and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.”

Any person who lives organically, unbendingly and consistently this way will themselves live, as verse 5 concludes, in the stability and security of the palm of the Heavenly Father’s hand: “He who does these things will never be shaken.”

The tides of an increasingly nasty culture and the natural drift of our own falleness will make living out this kind integrity extremely difficult. We will have to fight opposite currents every day, if not every moment of our lives. But such a well-lived life will be worth it along the way and at the end of our journey. It is the only way to live!

“Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.”
—Oswald Chambers

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Irresistible Integrity

I Peter 2

“Live such good lives among your unbelieving neighbors that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
(I Peter 2:12)

Thoughts… One of the greatest examples of integrity given to us in Scripture is the Old Testament character, Daniel. Daniel is remembered best for his miraculous deliverance from the lion’s den, but what got him there in the first place was his integrity.

He was a man of such solid character and indisputable integrity that his enemies couldn’t accuse him of any wrongdoing, so they accused him of “right doing”—and threw him into the lion’s den. But God used Daniel’s integrity not only for his deliverance, but to shame his enemies and as a platform to share his faith with the king of the Persian Empire.

Hopefully your integrity will not get you thrown into a lion’s den—although that does make a powerful testimony. But your integrity will open doors to share your faith with those who otherwise might not be ready to listen to the Good News.

In this verse, Peter says that your unbelieving neighbors will one day have to give glory to God if you live in such a way that your behavior matches what you’ve said you believe. That’s the irresistible power of the life of integrity. But that irresistible power doesn’t stop with just your unbelieving neighbors.

Even a godless society will have to take notice when, collectively, Christians live out what they preach (verses 13-17). So will the people in your workplace. When you “walk the walk” in the marketplace, people who don’t like you because of your faith will have to take notice of the God you claim (verses 18-20). And in the home, Christian wives will win their unbelieving husbands not by preaching at them, but by loving them as if they were loving Jesus himself. Likewise, husbands will really impress God if they love their wives as if they were loving Jesus himself (3:1-7).

It goes without saying that we need to be ready to verbalize our witness to unbelievers (3:15), but we will never be effective with our words if we first don’t have the witness of a life that matches those words. And even when we are prevented from speaking verbally, there is undeniable and irresistible power just in the integrity of our lives alone.

Our lives are Gospel…or at least they should be! So go forth and do the Good News. Be Jesus—then you’ll have the right to talk about him.  As St. Francis of Assisi said, preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words!

Prayer… Lord, on this day, help me to so live my life that people will see you in me.  Help me to be such a person of integrity that through the purity of my being, others will be drawn to you. “Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.”  —Oswald Chambers

One More Thing…

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A Great and God-Honoring Life

Read Titus 2

“Let everything you do reflect the integrity and
seriousness of your teaching.”
(Titus 2:7)

Thoughts… The key to stress-free living, an effective witness, and authentic discipleship is the convergence of your beliefs and your behavior. Conversely, the number one source of stress in your life, the single greatest destroyer of your witness, and the thing that impedes your walk with Christ as a disciple as much as anything are incongruent values—when your beliefs don’t match your behavior.

That’s why Paul is challenging Titus to practice what he is preaching. That’s your call as well. If you are going to talk the talk, then you ought to walk the walk. Christ followers who don’t are constantly trying to cover for their incongruent lives, and that’s the primary reason for why they live under so much stress. Likewise, their inconsistent and incongruent living exposes them as hypocrites. When they say one thing but doing another, their witness becomes worthless. Furthermore, the incongruence between their beliefs and their behavior critically damages their discipleship by violating the clear demand of Jesus that “if you love me, do what I say!”

Simply live out in your everyday life what you believe in your heart and you will live a great and God-honoring life. You will, as Paul says in verse 10, make your belief in God your Savior “attractive in every way.”

  • If you believe in holiness, put off sinful living.
  • If you believe in justice, practice fairness in all you do.
  • If you believe in self-control, don’t get drunk.
  • If you believe in purity, stay away from pornography.
  • It you love the lost, witness to them.
  • If you love the poor, serve them.
  • If you love the body of Christ, show up to church.
  • If you love God, start tithing.
  • If you love your spouse, show it.
  • If you love your parents, honor them.
  • If you love your neighbor, don’t gossip about them.
  • If you love yourself, eat right and exercise a little.
  • If you love the Bible, read it.
  • If you want less stress, live out your beliefs.
  • If you want to point people to Christ, practice what you preach.
  • If you want to be a disciple, do what Jesus commanded.

In everything you do, reflect the convergence of your belief with your behavior!

Prayer… Dear Lord, give me the grace and strength to do what I believe. May there always be integrity in my walk and congruence between my beliefs and my behavior. In everything I do, may I be pleasing to you and a living witness to a lost world of a loving God.

One More Thing… “I cannot find language of sufficient energy to convey my sense of the sacredness of private integrity.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson