When a person thinks of integrity, he or she generally focus’ in on morals, ethics, or character. To be sure, it is all of this and more. When I think of integrity, I think of something that is whole, complete. It’s from a root word that means intact. It means our hearts are not divided. There is no hidden agenda. It means doing the right thing even if no one is looking.
Think of a piece of clean, clear, pale of glass. Such a piece of glass will look the same from both sides. You can turn it around, turn it upside down, flip-flop it, it doesn’t matter. It is clear and complete regardless of the angle. The glass has integrity.
A person of integrity manifests this same singleness. He doesn’t, for instance, have a clear public side and a shady private side. He doesn’t have a Sunday face that is directly opposite of his weekday face. She doesn’t carry on the work of the Lord on one hand and the work of the devil on the other. Integrity speaks of a singleness of purpose, singleness of will, singleness of heart.
Babe Zacharias was a professional golfer. On one occasion she penalized herself two strokes when she accidentally played the wrong ball. “Why did you do it?” asked a friend. “No one saw you. No one would have known the difference.” “I would have known,” replied Zacharias. Babe manifested integrity. She was true both in public and in private.
Proverbs 10:9, “The man of integrity walks securely. He who takes crooked paths will be found out.” One of the benefits of walking in integrity is confidence. You don’t have any skeletons in your closet. You don’t have anything to hide.
This has been Pastor Michael Jackson of Janesville’s New Life Assembly of God with today’s LIFELINE!
- New Life Assembly of God Church in Janesville WI
