Book 3 of Musings People of Integrity

People of integrity do not make their decisions on the basis of what is pleasant but according to what is right.

Because we Americans often are found to be soft, pleasure-loving people, we have a difficult time with integrity. Occasionally we are faced with the choice of maintaining our pleasure or doing what we know to be right. People of integrity always will choose what is right. Pleasure-loving people may yield and do what they realize is sinful and possibly destructive. But to do what they should brings them pain, and this is unacceptable.

But, as we say, sooner or later the chickens come home to roost. What goes around eventually comes around. Then we wish we had done what we knew to be right. Now the decision is much, much more difficult to make.

Integrity includes honesty, truthfulness, honor, fairness, uprightness in principle and action.

It seems to be that our government in America is lacking in integrity, although there no doubt are many principled men and women. The political institutions of today's world are often characterized by deceit. I suppose the idea is the ends justify the means, and "everyone is doing it!" In fact, I think they reflect the personality of Satan who always gets as close to the seat of power as he can.

Of all the institutions on the earth, the Christian churches should be noted for their integrity. But they are not, and we need to think why they are not.

My own conclusion is that the way grace is taught has largely ruined the character of God's people, and in many cases, of the leaders.

We may have come to accept foolishness and lack of principle in our Christian leadership. Anyone can see how political manipulations take place in the churches and the denominations.

Granted the Character of our Lord, foolishness, lack of principle, political manipulations, and sometimes worse attitudes and actions, should never be encountered in the churches of Jesus Christ-especially among the leadership. But they are.

Why is this? I think it is the way salvation and grace are presented.

We are leaving people with the impression once they "accept Christ" they do not have to be serious, conscientious, and diligent. The laws of the Old Testament do not apply to them. The commandments of the New Testament do not apply to them. God is softheaded and softhearted and is just about to remove them from the earth so they can frolic in Paradise.

Then too, I think the impression is given that Christians are favored by the Lord over other people. Christians can be dishonest and not be punished for it. Christians can lie, cheat, break their promises, and it is all one big joke. We are saved by grace, aren't we?

I think the average unsaved person can recognize the lack of integrity in the evangelists and realize they are not looking at God's servants.

The idea that the light of the Christians is their good works has been removed from Christian thinking in many cases. We think our light is what we preach about Christ. Our light, according to the Lord, is our righteous behavior, our integrity.

We may perceive the Christian people as composing a special subculture of the world, a subculture consisting of God's pets who will not be punished as other people are. The truth is, Christians receive double judgment of their sins because they have been taught (or should have been taught) what God requires.

We are not a special subculture. We are a firstfruits of mankind. This means God has chosen us to be holy so God may accept the remainder of the harvest, that is, the people of the world. This is the principle of the firstfruits.

The firstfruits never are the entire harvest. They are the part that belongs to God in a special way, an offering to God on behalf of the remainder of the people of the world.

Therefore our attitude is to be one of humility, always interceding for the needs of people that come our way.

But all of our witness and intercession comes to nothing if we do not have integrity of character. I know the slipping and the sliding that goes on, the aura that we are God's favorites. But this is a delusion and it soon shall be swept away with the broom of destruction; burned away with the fires of Divine judgment.

God is looking for integrity and sincerity on the part of all people, beginning with the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the Word of God is preached it falls on different types of soil. The soil that permits lasting fruit is described by the Lord as "an honest and good heart." This means a heart of integrity.

God cannot work where there is a lack of integrity.

I have been a Christian for many years. I realize we are tested, tested, and tested again to determine if we have integrity.

If there is any deceit in us, any foolishness, any double-mindedness, it soon will be revealed and burned away by the Consuming Fire. In this manner we gain a character like that of the Lord.

If God is dealing severely with you, don't quit. Don't be amazed at the fiery trial that is examining your character. It is a judgment of the spiritual darkness in your personality. All who would be servants of the Lord must endure the fire.

There will come a day when you are released. You will find that nothing has been burned but your bondages. When you come forth you will be more serious, more truthful, more humble, more merciful. You no longer will be Mr. Hot-shot Christian, a Jacob, a devious supplanter. You will be a member of Israel, of the princes of Judah.

It is worth every fire to come to know the Lord in this way. He has total integrity of character. As you are being conformed to His image you too will develop total integrity of character.

All the foolishness, insincerity, lying, cheating, fraud, deceit, dishonesty, belongs to Satan and his followers. The Lord's true people are upright, dependable, and sincere and faithful in all they do. The religious churchgoers will be tried by fire until the superficiality and deceitfulness have been burned away and they join the ranks of the Lord's disciples.

There is no other integrity to match the integrity that is produced when we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus each day.

May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. (Psalms 25:21)

In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. (Psalms 41:12)