Integrity – making right choices when no one is looking
Proverbs 10:9a – He who walks with integrity walks securely…
Proverbs 11:3a – The integrity of the upright will guide them…
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Integrity is closely tied to honesty. Honesty is the act of being truthful and integrity is the consistent exercise of such acts. Honesty is a moment in time, integrity is a lifestyle of doing the right thing.
A succinct way to define integrity is this:
Integrity is doing the right thing in the absence of an audience.
You may find it easy to be honest and upright when others are watching, but how do you act when no one is around? Are you truthful, ethical, and moral? Do you strive for excellence or do the very least that is required?
A lifestyle of purity is marked by integrity. You must be willing to commit yourself to doing the right thing no matter who is watching, or not watching. Integrity is a higher standard because to be a man or woman of integrity means you are living to please God, not people.
Integrity is the guide to a pure life. When you develop the disciplines of integrity you reap the fruit of purity – there is a cause-effect relationship between the two. You cannot enjoy a lifestyle of purity apart from the presence of integrity.
Do you truly want to live each day in purity? Then begin living each moment as if you are standing in the presence of God, because in reality… you are.
Today’s Thought:
I must be a man or woman of integrity if I ever want to enjoy the benefits of purity. Purity is impossible to achieve apart from integrity.
I will reap significant peace and joy by cultivating integrity into my life. I cannot know such peace and joy apart from integrity.
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