Integrity

Integrity is a high standard of living. A person of integrity is whole, their lives are put together. People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Their lives are open books.

The scripture says, The one who lives with integrity lives securely- Proverbs 10:9

As God's children, our behavior should match our beliefs. We should walk the talk. Who we are on Sunday will be the same on Monday and every other day of the week.

There are three ways to maintain integrity in our lives.

1. Strive to be the same person in front of the crowd as we are behind the scene

There is a verse that says when tilted, you spill out what is inside of you. When the pressure is on, what's inside always comes out. It's at such times that our actions reveal who we really are - for good or for bad.

Are we the same person outside of work? Do we live differently around different groups? People who value integrity are the same in every crowd. Popularity isn't important. Being able to bring credibility to the table regardless of the setting is what matters. We can only do this if we have integrity. That means being the same person in every environment.

Our character and integrity should support our success, not undermine it. Good character is being true to the right principles even when no one is there watching. Being faithful to God in our private life is more important than public perception. God cannot bless us with big things unless we have proven to be upright in the small things.

2. Be careful not to conform

Character isn't who we say we are but it's who we actually are. We can fake almost anything in life, but not our character. Character means doing the right thing regardless of what others think. It often means standing alone and acting courageously.

Romans 12:2 says Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Sometimes it's easier to conform. At times it is easier to simply go with the flow. We see this behavior in office staff meetings and friend circles. It could be that our friends are unfairly gossiping about someone we barely know, and it would be easier to sit back and listen rather than come to the defense of a mere acquaintance. When our fear of conforming is greater than our fear of change, we are well on our way to realizing our dreams.

3. Learn to value the process of building our character

Romans 5:3-5 says, "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

This verse speaks of character being established through endurance. If someone is an athlete, there are no shortcuts to winning a race or competition. Character is no different. We can't wheel through somewhere and grab it. We can't just decide we have it and tell others that we do, either. It's built through endurance. Let us strive to be a man or woman of good character and the rest will always fall into place.

This week, let us reflect on one new habit or behavior that you must follow to become a man or woman of integrity.

May the good Lord help us to be His children of integrity.