A Man An His Integrity

How are you feeling? Did you “stretch out” this week? If you weren’t here last week you might be wondering what I’m talking about, so let me explain. We are beginning a series of discussions during our times together that is entitled, “Have you got what it takes to be God’s man?”

Being a godly man is not easy, and is not for the weak. It is going to be one of the toughest challenges you are going to face in your entire life. Because the issues we are dealing with are internal and eternal as opposed to external and temporary – and today’s topic is a great example.

But before we being with that topic, remember that last week we were challenged to STRETCH:

I hope you did some stretching this week, because today we start our workout. And it’s possibly going to cause some pain. And remember, ladies: while this information is going to be presented to men, the principles we are talking about are universal, and they apply to every one of us!

Let’s warm up with a video clip. [The Legend of Bagger Vance[i] – Judah has moved a leaf out of the way by his ball, and it moved – a violation of the rules. He feels he must take a penalty stroke, but his friends and even the officials try to get him to forget about it – but he will not compromise.]

In a physical training routine, there are several general areas of work that we do:

In the same way, when we are in Spiritual training, there are general areas of work that we will be doing:

Today, we are going to begin our section on Character Building by talking about A Man And His Integrity. What is integrity? Well, my big collegiate edition of the Random House Dictionary says that Integrity is, “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.” It can also mean, “a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition, as in ‘the integrity of a ships hull.’”[ii] The great 20^th Century Philosopher Oprah Winfrey said, “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.”[iii] As we’ve seen in this clip, sometimes integrity is doing the right thing, even when others are telling you it’s OK to do the wrong thing!

We live, for the great part, in a culture where integrity is nearing extinction. The demise of Enron and Worldcom were headline grabbing examples of corporate lies that had businesses large and small over-reporting their performance and worth to their employees and stockholders. In sports, the exciting record-breaking efforts of Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa a few years ago to set a new home-run season record is now known to be nothing more than a drug-induced fantasy.

In the world of education, “integrity” is found exclusively in the dictionary. And it’s not just the students who cheat – the professors are just as likely to be plagiarizing their materials as any student. In fact, some entire careers are built on lies. Ward Churchill, the Colorado University professor who has made headlines lately by stating that the attacks of September 11 were justified and the killing of the people at the World Trade center was the equivalent of killing Nazis in Germany, has been discovered to be a complete fraud. He has no doctorate, he claims to have been a paratrooper and sniper in Viet Nam - records show he worked in the motor pool. He claims to be both a Creek and Cherokee Indian- He has no native American blood at all. Colorado officials say that he was in such demand that they had to hire him right away – they didn’t have time to check his credentials…

Our son Andrew sent an email earlier this year from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he is in the Navy ROTC program, and is a founding father of a campus fraternity. In part, his email read:

There was a time when fraternities were deeply set in the ideals of Brotherhood, Honor and Chivalry, and even more so the military used to be an establishment for those men whose ‘place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known either victory nor defeat.’ But times have changed, Dad. Honor has given way to deceit, and Chivalry is now turned into a tool of manipulation. I feel like I am living in the Lion’s Den.

In business, schools, and homes, people simply don’t have a clue of what it means to be honest any more. Just listen to some of these statistics from George Gallup:

Ø 43% of people admit to stealing from their employer. Employee theft costs American business $16 million per day – that’s $8 billion a year! So-called “little things” like personal use of company phones, stealing envelopes, stamps and supplies from work for home use, or big things like televisions or computers are taken at alarming rates.

Sadly, the church has not been spared from the loss of integrity. We have all witnessed the scandals that have rocked the Christian world. From financial deception to ethical and moral failure, the church is every bit as devoid of integrity as any business, school or political institution. Gallup has found that Christians are almost as likely as non Christians to cheat on their taxes, commit plagiarism, use an illegal computer program, steal time, or money, and only obey the law when it’s convenient.[v]

And guys, just when you thought the news couldn’t get any worse – it does. The poles show that men are far more likely to be guilty of lapses in honesty than women. Gallup stated, “On every question we probed, American women in the workplace held a higher moral standard than men. Less than half as many women as men believed that the only way to get ahead is to cheat. In addition, women are much less willing to compromise their values to get ahead, and are more willing to quit as a matter of principle.” When that $16 million walks out of company storerooms every day, the thief is six times more likely to be a man than a woman![vi]

In the midst of this raging, rising tide of dishonesty, hypocrisy and lies stands the unchanging, uncompromising character of a man of God. While the moral compass of the world seems to spin out of control with no focal point, the Bible lays out for us true north – a standard of excellence that is presented clearly for us, and that is expected of us. The image is not one of impossible, impractical perfection - but of careful discipline.

The Bill Gates of the ancient world was a man named Job. He was incredibly wealthy, blessed with a large loving family, and lived a life of righteousness. In fact, the Bible says that his life was blameless. In a test of his character that God allowed Satan to bring on him, Job lost his cattle, his farms, and, worst of all, his children. In addition, his body was hit with serious illness. He had done nothing to deserve such loss – it happened, as it sometimes happens to us. Job had some friends who came along side their hurting friend. Meaning well, they urged Job to confess whatever sin had brought on this punishment from God, but Job continued to assert that he had done nothing wrong – he had no un-confessed sin – that he had been faithful to God – and he had!

In the biography of Job, verse 27:5, Job makes an incredible statement. He said, “Till I die, I will not deny my integrity, I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it…” What a remarkable statement! How rare such a statement would be in our society today! In our day, far too often, we fold at the first sign of pressure; we buckle at anything we see as unfair or underserved. And worse, we have little idea of what it means to “maintain our righteousness and never let go of it.” An opportunity comes to get ahead, but it means we might need to fudge just a little, or stretch just a little, or cheat a little, and we jump at it. We rationalize, “it’s just a little thing, no one will know – it won’t hurt anyone…” What we don’t realize is that it does indeed hurt. It hurts us, it hurts those around us, and it hurts God.

It hurt us because when we begin to go down that slippery slope, it’s nearly impossible to stop. Sessela Bok wrote in her book entitled, Lying, “It is easy to tell a lie, but hard to tell only one.”[vii] Once we have begun to compromise our integrity, we will continue to do so. There may be no habit more addictive than that of lying. The lies begin to compound, and it gets easier and easier to stretch the truth. A dollar slipped out of the register once for a cup of coffee soon becomes a daily habit. What starts out as an exception soon becomes a lifestyle. A destructive, deceit-filled, life.

It hurts those around us because eventually the lack of integrity becomes apparent. It will be seen by our co-workers and our friends. They’ll begin to understand that we’re willing to let some things “slip by.” They will know that we are willing to let things slide when it comes to honesty - we’re willing to cut corners, take what we can, and do what it takes.

Even worse, our family will know. We may think we’re hiding it, but they will know. It may never be something that anyone ever talks about, in fact, the talk may be righteous, but the life will be compromised. We don’t understand why our kids steal money from our wallet, we’ve told them how to live right, but we’ve shown them how to live wrong. You may have heard this poem, “Sow and act, and you reap a habit, so a habit and you reap a character.” Folks, I would submit that often times we sow those acts and habits into the generations that will follow us. Believe me, a lack of integrity hurts those around us.

A lack of integrity hurts God, too. There’s a great section of Proverbs that says these words:

That entire passage speaks of integrity, doesn’t it? But I want to draw your attention to the last couplet. “I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” When we lack integrity, we dishonor God. We dishonor Him in our lives, we dishonor Him in our circle of acquaintances, and we dishonor Him in His creation. Remember that story of Job? What Job didn’t know was that Satan had challenged God about the faithfulness of His followers. God chose Job to be an example, a sort of cosmic dual – and Job’s faithfulness won not only a victory for him in his life on earth, but it won a great victory of God in the heavens. How do we know that our challenges, our battles are not spiritual in nature?

It is imperative that we live lives of integrity before our children, our co-workers and our God, but how is that accomplished? What are some practical guidelines that we can use to help strengthen our integrity?

Who lends money without interest, and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

A blameless walk and doing what is right is the definition of integrity isn’t it?

Ø Speaks the truth – we simply can’t lie and have integrity. Proverbs 12:22 says, “the Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.” Do I speak the truth?

Ø Does his neighbor no wrong – a person of integrity is one who is not going to cheat or steal or in any way treat another person poorly. Gossip, jealousy, and greed have no place in a person of integrity. Do I treat my neighbor right?

Ø The heroes of a man of integrity are men of integrity. We aspire to be men of character, not men who cheat and flaunt it. John Kennedy won a Pulitzer Prize for literature when he wrote “Profiles in Courage.” It was a collection of biographies of men who had made decisions to do what was right, even when it cost them – in some cases it cost them their careers. Those are the types of men we hold as heroes – as opposed to those who made their moneys by cheating, stepping over others, or abandoning their values. Are my role models godly men?

Ø A man of integrity keeps his word – even when it hurts. We make a promise, we keep it. We give our word, people know they can trust it. A man of integrity doesn’t conveniently forget the promise he has made, or purposefully ignore a commitment. Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many men claim to be unfailing, but a faithful man who can find?” If we have made a commitment, and later find that it is inconvenient, or we want to change our mind, a man of integrity will keep his promise. Am I a man of his word?

Ø A man of integrity is financially sound, too. He has the ability to be generous, yet has unshakable convictions. Are my financial dealings on the level?

After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I've decided to become a minister When I grow up."
"That's okay with us, but what made you decide that?"
"Well," said the little boy, "I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and talk, than to sit and listen."

You know what, sometimes it is more fun to stand up and talk than sit and listen – but then there are those other days. This stuff hits close to home. I’ve had to do a lot of self-evaluation this week, and there were areas I had to make right. It hurt – it cost me, but it was right!

A man of integrity, who lives by these standards, will be on a firm footing. The tough times of life come, just like they did for Job, but he will be able to maintain his righteousness and never let it go. This week’s workout includes this regiment: Read Psalm 15 every morning. Ask God to point out to you which areas you need to address – and pray for the strength to walk in your integrity every day.

[v] Ibid, pg 126.

[vi] Ibid., pg 125.