Psalm 41:12 Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.
"Integrity"- A firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.
"Firm"- a. securely or fixed in place; b. not weak or uncertain
Are our Christian values firm for each of us? Are they firm until a joke can get a laugh at school from the "in" crowd? Are our values "fixed in place" until our neighbor needs our help but the NBA Finals are on television? Are our values certain until tithing would mean not getting the place on the lake?
Many Christians talk of integrity and values, but how firm do we stand on those values when it is more convenient, socially acceptable, or financially advantageous to compromise? Integrity is a lifestyle, not a situational choice. David, Job, Paul, Stephen lived lives of integrity. Through life's ups and downs, through catastrophic events, even unto death, their values were "securely fixed in place". (Yes, even David- Although his sin was great in the situation with Bathseba, he confessed, repented and returned to his core values.)
How much sleep, social acceptance, and "stuff" are we willing to forego in order to maintain our personal integrity?
One final note one this verse- If integrity is firmly adhering to a moral code, I wonder how many Christians could articulate our own personal moral code. Not parroting the Beatitudes or I Corinthians 13, but in our own words, clearly and succinctly present a personal moral code. Do we know to what we are to firmly adhere?
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