Food 4 Thought: Integrity
September: Integrity | August: Focus | July: Strength | June: Health | May: Spiritual Gifts | April: Sacrifice | March: Leadership
Each month the Men's Department of Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ has been given a theme to meditate on and the Food 4 Thought section will focus on each monthly theme. We believe that our responsibility is to Provide, Protect, Prevent and Procreate and the Food 4 Thought section will consist of articles that will encourage you to think, encourage you to grow, encourage you to act and encourage each man to be productive members of the Church and society.
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Integrity
Proverbs 10:9; Colossians 3:23; Psalm 15
As a teenager in the late 80’s, rap music began to take shape as one of the dominant genres in the music industry. Though I was raised on the West Coast, I remember a phrase from East Coast rappers that remained with me for years. I did not understand the phrase when I first heard it, but as I grew older, its meaning became clearer. “Word is bond,” though grammatically incorrect, has a very powerful meaning. To some, it meant to “do what you say you’re going to do.” To others, it meant “talk is cheap.” Simply stated, it charges men to be men of integrity. There’s no grey area with integrity – it’s either black or white. Our “word” is a commodity that we must cherish and control. If we lose the trust of others, we become invisible to them and must work extremely hard to regain their trust.
Integrity means:
- The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness
- The state of being whole and undivided
Integrity is who you are when no one else is looking. Integrity is a dying trait and is under constant attack today. While it may be acceptable in certain arenas for our political and governmental leaders to lack integrity in their endeavors, it’s definitely not acceptable amongst our spiritual leaders. Sadly, integrity issues are now appearing prominently in our local churches and it has caused tremendous instability in the church today. America used to be known as a Christian nation. Our founding fathers , though they had their own issues, founded this country on godly principles. Unfortunately, our government has compromised the nation’s integrity by approving same gender marriages, legalizing marijuana use in a number of states, condoning promiscuity in school, and turning our backs on those that really are in need. Instead of looking up to America, many nations frown upon our moral decay.
Our churches are suffering from moral decay as well. Prayer is no longer the focus. Fasting is a pre-historic event. Reformations are embracing homosexuality instead of condemning the sinful lifestyle. Church online or once a week is the “in thing” to do. Our leaders say one thing, but lead different lives outside of the church. Instead of the church being a house of refuge, many have become a place Christians and non-believers loath.
How did we get so far off course?
2 Timothy 3:1 reminds us that “in the last days perilous times shall come.” Paul continues by informing us that men will be “lovers of their own selves, proud, disobedient to parents, trucebreakers, lovers of pleasure” and so much more. However, none of the traits listed in 2 Timothy 3 should be named among the saints because we “are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
How do we get back on course?
Several men in the Bible displayed great integrity in spite of adversity that loomed ahead. Joshua and Caleb showed great integrity when they declared that the Israelites could conquer the Promised Land, even though the ten other spies cowered in fear and lead the crowd astray. Daniel showed great integrity and continued to pray at his regularly scheduled prayer time, even though it meant that he would be thrown into a lion’s den because of King Darius’ signed decree. The three Hebrew boys showed great integrity and did not bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar, even though the fiery furnace was waiting for them. In each example, the men trusted God in spite of the odds that appeared to be stacked against them. They prevailed victoriously because they trusted God and they were men of integrity.
As men, we are looked upon to lead. Our family looks to us for leadership. Our job looks to us for leadership. Our church looks to us for leadership. Our community looks to us for leadership. We must understand the time that we live in and stand up to the challenges that life is throwing our way without compromising our beliefs and morals. Simply put, we must “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called” (Ephesians 4:1). If we walk in the spirit of integrity, the world can see that there is a reason for hope even in a world full of darkness. If we stand, it will allow our family, our church, and our community to stand on our shoulders. Proverbs 22:1 states “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” A man of integrity leaves a good name for his children and his children’s children. We may not be able to leave them an abundance of wealth or a ton of clothes, but what we can leave them is a good name.
The task ahead of us may look daunting, but we can prevail by the Spirit that dwells in us.