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Post by Christ is My Life! Fri Nov 02, 2007 6:52 pm


A Battle for Integrity



Charles R. Swindoll



I
must tell you that I have been troubled regarding the face of things in
our country and within the family of God. My major battle has had to do
with one word, one concept. My battle has to do with integrity.
In our nation--and in the church--there has been a falling away, a
breakdown, and a compromise in integrity. Recent headlines have taught
us that the boom of the 1990s was built on a foundation devoid of
integrity. But compromise isn't limited to CEOs who greedily sell out
their employees or to pork-happy politicians. All too often we find a
moral laxity behind our pews and, even worse, behind the pulpit.
Let me define what I mean by integrity. Webster's tells us integrity means "an unimpaired condition."1 It means to be sound. The Hebrew word for integrity, tom, also means to be complete or solid.
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands. (Psalm 78:72)
Integrity is completeness or soundness. You have integrity if you
complete a job even when no one is looking. You have integrity if you
keep your word even when no one checks up on you. You have integrity if
you keep your promises. Integrity means the absence of duplicity and is
the opposite of hypocrisy. If you are a person of integrity, you will
do what you say. What you declare, you will do your best to be.
Integrity also includes financial accountability, personal reliability,
and private purity. A person with integrity does not manipulate others.
He or she is not prone to arrogance or self-praise. Integrity even
invites constructive and necessary criticism because it applauds
accountability. It's sound. It's solid. It's complete.
Integrity is rock-like. It won't crack when it has to stand alone,
and it won't crumble though the pressure mounts. Integrity keeps one
from fearing the white light of examination or resisting the exacting
demands of close scrutiny. It's honesty at all costs.
The words of Louis Adamic seem fitting, "There is a certain blend of
courage, integrity, character and principle which has no satisfactory
dictionary name but has been called different things at different times
in different countries. Our American name for it is 'guts.'"2
I like that. Integrity is having the guts to tell the truth, even if
it may hurt to do so. Integrity is having the guts to be honest, even
though cheating may bring about a better grade. Integrity is having the
guts to quote sources rather than to plagiarize.
But there are some things integrity is not. It is not sinless
perfection. A person with integrity does not live a life absolutely
free of sin. No one does. But one with integrity quickly acknowledges
his failures and doesn't hide the wrong.
Now, in addressing this crucial mark of character, I could come
across as the "white knight," but you know me better than that. I fail
like everyone else. The sooner you remember that, the better we'll get
along. But concerning the issue of integrity, I give you my word. You
will know if I have failed or if Insight for Living has failed in some
way. I will tell you. I will not lead you to believe something is true
if it is false. That is the least I can do as a minister of the Gospel.

Integrity is essential in the church, in the marketplace, and
especially in the home. When you walk in integrity, you leave it as a
legacy for your children to follow (Proverbs 20:7). It's what I call the father's thumbprint. Blessed are you if you had a father with integrity and a mother with guts.
When you work with integrity, you honor the Lord. Regardless of your
profession, your character and conduct are methods of ministry. Over 50
years ago, Elton Trueblood wrote,
It is hard to think of any job in which the moral element is
lacking. The skill of the dentist is wholly irrelevant if he is
unprincipled and irresponsible. There is little, in that case, to keep
him from extracting teeth unnecessarily, because the patient is usually
in a helpless situation. It is easy to see the harm that can be done by
an unprincipled lawyer. Indeed, such a man is far more dangerous if he
is skilled than if he is not skilled.3
Do you put wire in walls? Do you repair cars? Do you work with
numbers? Do you sell clothes? Perhaps you practice law or medicine. The
important thing is not what work you do, but whether you do your work
with integrity. Perhaps you labor behind the scenes, and your only
thanks is the inner satisfaction of a job done right. Do you cheat on
your exams? Are you cheating on your mate? Some have the audacity to do
such things and call themselves Christians. No wonder the world is
confused!
You want to shock the world? Start here--demonstrating the guts to
do what's right when no one is looking. It takes real guts to stand
strong with integrity in a culture weakened by hypocrisy. Start today.
Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, "A Battle for Integrity," Insights (March 2003): 1-2. Copyright © 2003, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used with permission.
Christ is My Life!
Christ is My Life!
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