[04ctd]

Integrity

ÔÇ£Let your ÔÇÿyesÔÇÖ be ÔÇÿyesÔÇÖ, and your ÔÇÿnoÔÇÖ be noÔÇÖÔÇØ (Matthew 5:37)

InÔÇótegÔÇóriÔÇóty
1. Adherence to moral & ethical principles; soundness
of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.

When people are asked to describe a Christian business leader, integrity is usually high on the list of expected character traits  and well it should be. The scripture is full of evidence that God values integrity, morality, honesty  ethical behavior.

However, in a business world today that seems to operate from a relativistic moral base  where the ends are thought to justify the means  where the bottom line is king  integrity is an increasingly scarce commodity. Part of that is also due to the fact that integrity can have its costs. That cost can be as simple as going back to a store to pay for something the cashier missed, or as impacting as losing a contract for refusing to give a bribe.

In either of those examples  as in every instance where operating with integrity requires a choice  its interesting to consider who is watching, and how your choice can have an unexpected influence on the lives of, not only the people directly involved in your situation, but of people who are watching  and people DO watch.

A fascinating word in that first definition is ÔÇ£adherenceÔÇØ. To ÔÇ£adhereÔÇØ means to stick to something ÔÇô in this case to stick to your moral and ethical foundation ÔÇô not just to stay close to it, or maneuver around it, but to be inseparable from it. As Jesus simply states it, ÔÇ£Let your ÔÇÿyesÔÇÖ be ÔÇÿyesÔÇÖ, and your ÔÇÿnoÔÇÖ be noÔÇÖÔÇØ (Matthew 5:37) ÔÇô and to base that clarity on the foundation of biblical truth.

The result of that kind of commitment is described quite well by the second part of our definition: The state of being whole, entire or undiminished. Perhaps you know how compromising your beliefs can make you feel diminished, less than you were when you stood firm  I confess I know all too well the hollow feeling that comes from that kind of failure  no matter how minor. I also have seen the evidence of how my failure to live what I say I believe can diminish me in the eyes of others  my employees  my friends  my family. It can also diminish the impact of other things I say I believe  including my commitment to Christ.

The positive side, however, is how incredibly fulfilling it can be to know that living and operating with integrity honors God and allows the reflection of His image in us to be seen by others as undiminished as a redeemed man or woman can represent it.

This brings us to that third part of our definition: ÔÇ£sound, unimpaired, perfectÔÇØ. My construction background tells me that something ÔÇ£soundÔÇØ has a solid structure based on an excellent design and a firm foundation ÔÇô a perfect description of what God has provided in His Word. Something ÔÇ£unimpairedÔÇØ can operate in the way it was intended ÔÇô without the barriers caused by compromise, moral failure or lack of trust in the Designer.

And that leaves us with perfect  and that is a problem. There is simply no way you and I can make the grade here. We are simply not going to get a life-long grade of 100% on the integrity scale  whether by commission, omission or any other kind of mission, we are going to come up short  and that is where the good news comes!

We CAN be perfect  in Gods eyes  when He looks at us through the lens of our relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the source of our ability to adhere to His moral and ethical principles, to reflect His undiminished image, and to experience the cleansing that is available when we confess our failure and ask for His forgiveness  and a fresh  perfect - start.

The world looks for ÔÇô and it needs - integrity. Jesus has it. His followers can have it, too.