ABC's of Godly Character - I

I is for Integrity! Integrity is firm adherence to a code of moral values, incorruptibility, the quality or state of being complete or undivided. Did you catch that: Firm adherence..., Incorruptible..., Undivided... Integrity is what you do when no one else is looking.

It is the “why” we do something. People see WHAT we do, but God sees WHY we do it. Integrity comes from the heart. It’s a God thing. We cannot buy it, cannot we pretend to have it, and we cannot earn it. The “real” us will always show through. We can put on a fake appearance for a little while, but our real colors always come out. Integrity is within us and only God can create it. Proverbs 28:6 says “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” Integrity of heart is mentioned a lot in the Bible. Psalm 78:72 says “"And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." David shepherded the Israelites "with integrity of heart". Although David had many shortcomings throughout his life, one thing was firm. He had “integrity of heart”. After the times that he sinned, he came back to the moral code that was steadfast in his heart. David was a “man after God’s own heart” and even when he messed up and sinned, deep within his heart he was convicted of his sins and repented. Integrity is in the heart. Look deep within and pull out what God has created in you. Cultivate this integrity through spending time in the Bible so that you will have a firm foundation of integrity—one that is created by God. All others are as shifting sand. 

C.S. Lewis said “integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching”. 

Integrity is not about what you do, it is not about who you know, it is not about what you say, it is how you live! 

Prayer starter: Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to develop a heart of integrity. Help me to live like You, even when no one is watching. Help my faith to be real and not just me going through the motions to “look good”. I want to live with integrity of the heart that shouts about my love for you. In Your Precious Name, Amen.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to strive to live for Jesus today and every day…even when no one is watching! How are you living in secret? Do you have integrity of the heart?