What is integrity? I have learned that it is a matter of the heart. It is about deciding whether to follow wholly after the Lord our God or not. It’s that simple. Whether to obey the great commandment to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength or not. How is your heart today if you’ll check it with the standard of integrity?
The Lord has simplified it for us. We are all in this place because somehow we love God, right? I think everyone of us are here because of that. But do we love Him enough? It can only be enough when it is with our all. So when you think you love God, the criteria is, is it with your all? And I think with that standard, we all fall short.
The life we have chosen as God’s servant is not an easy life. It is filled with what appears to be constant failure. Yet integrity does not mean perfection but rather a constant state of relentless striving to follow the Lord and obey His great commandment. So check your heart. Are you following hard after the Lord’s heart?
The battle for integrity is a moment-by-moment fight within the hearts of men. It is concealed and unseen by others, unless we let them see. Therefore, it is very dangerous. You alone know the condition of your heart. This conflict happens in the secret chamber of one’s true self, which the Lord alone sees. If we are to be honest with each other and reveal our true heart, we would see the filthiness of our hearts. It is not something that we show other people, but it is the true condition of each person’s life. Why is it that we have filthy hearts? It is because we fail to win the battle for integrity.
Proverbs 21:2 reminds us that, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.” What is the integrity of your heart in the sight of the Lord?
In ministry, we as God’s servants somehow become very important people. Many of God’s people would treat us with high honor and respect as holy people of God. Do not get used to this kind of treatment. Why? The only reason we are being treated well is because of the Lord. It’s so easy to fall into a trap that inflates the ego, for we are unknowingly enticed by well-meaning people to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to.
The Lord uses us as instruments to help other people. But people tend to see us more than they see God. They thank God but they thank us more. We must fight for integrity when we receive thanks and blessings from his people. We have to be very careful. We have to realize that we are receiving them because we have been serving the Lord. It is people’s gift to God and not to you or to me. Never forget that when you step into the ministry. Otherwise, you will become VIPs but you will not be important in the sight of the Lord.
Proverbs 4:23 says: Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. The battle for integrity is to be fought with weapons of truth and faith. Victory has been won by our Lord Jesus. So, let us faithfully move forward with integrity to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and also, to love others in the way He has loved us. Yes, it is not easy. But it is the way to go.