1 INTEGRITY Part I Lars Wilhelmsson Solomon, the wisest person who ever lived point out the all-importance of integrity: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold (Pr 22:1). A good reputation exists because it is a reflection of a person s character. By focusing on character reputation will take care of itself. There is a Latin proverb which states, Integrity is the noblest possession. 1 The Greeks said that character is destiny. A.W. Tozer described a person of integrity when he stated, A free Christian should act from within with a total disregard for the opinions of others. If a course is right, he should take it because it is right, not because he is afraid not to take it. And if it is wrong, he should avoid it though he lose every earthly treasure and even his very life as a consequence. 2 the foundation and the whole house crumbles under the pressure. Spiritual leadership is impossible apart from integrity. As Polonius in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" says to Laertes after giving him lots of advice: "This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou can st not then be false to any man." 3 A common expression is "to walk in integrity" indicating a way of life. God promises to protect those who walk in it (2:7), to make them secure (v. 21; 10:9; 20:7; 28:18), and says that it is better than wealth: "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.... Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse" (19:1; 28:6).
2 James Kouzes points to the importance of credibility: We keep rediscovering that credibility is the foundation of leadership.... People won t believe the message if they don t believe in the messenger. People don t follow your technique. They follow you your message and your embodiment of that message. 4 Credibility is the result of integrity. People do not expect their leaders to be infallible, although some leaders think they are meant to be, but they do expect them to be honest. They will follow a leader almost anywhere as long as they are sure that if they make a mistake and lead them into danger, they will admit it and lead them back to safe ground. If they are not sure of that, they will not follow very far, nor should they. Leaders who lack integrity will eventually lead people into disaster because they are too arrogant and/or insecure to admit to having made a mistake. Leaders need to be very frank and very honest about mistakes, without making excuses, evading responsibility or rationalizing. Rationalizing is giving a reason that is not the real reason but is one that is more acceptable to our self-image. It is an unconscious defense mechanism to save us from unpleasant ego insights. It is often easier for an individual to rationalize than for a group, because, in a group, there is usually someone who will explode the myth by saying, Get real, that s not the real reason. If we are going to give people this story let s be honest and admit we are deceiving them. Paul specifies integrity as an indispensable ingredient in Christian teaching. Solomon states in the book of Proverbs: Solomon defines integrity here as faithfulness or dependability (opposite of unfaithfulness) and genuineness or honesty (without duplicity). James speaks of the doubleminded man who doubts and thus ends up playing to both sides, believing on the one hand and doubting on the other (2:6). And James says that such a person "should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is... unstable in all he does" (1:7-8). A person of integrity is genuine or honest in all his ways. Although it takes time to build a reputation as one who always tells the truth, it only takes one lie to destroy it. Honesty means more than just telling the truth for if the words are accurate they can be altered by facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, or motive. An ancient proverb states, "Half a fact is a whole lie." A person of integrity is also faithful or dependable. The greatest ability is dependability. There is no substitute for rock-solid consistency. Day in and day out such a person will be the same. A person of integrity is a person with a singleness of heart that enables him to be a person of his word.
3 There is about David a wholeness of heart, a single-minded commitment to the will of God as he understands it. This whole-heartedness was meant to be emulated by his son, Solomon, but sadly wasn t: As Solomon grew old his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord as the heart of David his father had been (1 Ki 11:4cf., 9:4). There is no doubt but that it was this very quality in David which other men of leadership strength found compelling. Double-minded men gain few worthwhile followers. David, on the other hand was able to ask others to make sacrifices for God because he would never himself offer to God anything which cost him nothing. No, I insist on paying the full price he insists with Aruanah when the latter offers to give him the threshing-floor for nothing as a site for the altar. Later when costly giving is required of the people, David as their leader has the moral authority to ask for it. Who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord? First to step forward were David s fellow-leaders who gave lavishly towards the work of the temple. The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord (1 Ch 21:24; 29:5-9). There is in David integrity of heart. Asaph who was close enough to David to know otherwise testified to this aspect of David s rule over Israel and praised God for it: And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them (Ps 78:72). The skill was in safe hands because the heart was sound. Sinless, David certainly wasn t but he could claim to know the blessedness of being a guileless man (Ps 32). As a leader with his fair share of sin and mistakes he nevertheless kept short accounts with God and was honored for it. The following questions help us measure our integrity. 1. How well do we treat people from whom we have nothing to gain? 2. Are we truthful and transparent with others? 3. Are we the same persons when we are alone as when we are in the spotlight? 4. Do we admit to wrongdoing without being pressed to do so? 5. Can we be counted upon? 6. Do we put other people s wellbeing ahead of our own? 7. Are we protective of others reputation? 8. Are we willing to make difficult decisions, even if it means there is a personal cost? 9. Are we more concerned about doing what is right than about what people may think?
4 The person of integrity is a person of honor whose word is as good as his bond. He is authentic, real, true to God, above reproach (1 Ch 29:17; 1 Ti 3:2; Titus 1:6-27). As someone put it, Blessed is the man who has learned to admire without envy, to follow without mimicking, to praise without flattery, and to lead without manipulation. NOTES 1 Mark Waters, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984), 533. 2 Edythe Draper, Draper s Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1992), 6291. 3 Waters, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations, 533. 4 George Barna, A Fish Out of Water (Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2002), 99.
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