another reason that i value integrity so much is that of reliability. my wife needs to know that what i say is true and reliable. for example, like when i will be home for dinner so that when she cooks her fine meals it will be warm and ready for the both of us to enjoy together. we will be both be blessed. but if i did not come home at the time that i said i would, the food would be cold, my wife would then be disappointed, frustrated, hungry. she is not honored here. i want to be reliable and effective in my commitment to love her.
in a way like my wife, God desires reliability, truth in the innermost, honesty; to be true to his word and walk in steady obedience. i'm not talking about legalism here or religiosity but sincere love in a life that is not duplicitous. you can't say that you love God and not walk as Jesus did by failing to love your brother [1 Jn]. the effectiveness of the xian life and God's glory is at stake.
we need deep integrity in our jaded culture. cynical and weary with reality shows we see alot of duplicity, it's probably not that much different in many of our homes. people have let us down. we don't know who is reliable around us. we are suspicious when others display kindness. but a person's true character will reveal itself in time with stress.
"captain, hull integrity is holding..." an illustration through star trek (i'm a closet trekkie).
in battle, as a ship takes hull damage, its effectiveness decreases. the ship loses its ability to maneuver or increase speed. at dock, the outside of a ship may glow with aesthetic beauty and give the perception that it is sound but there can be rust, loose screws and other oversights that can contribute to fatal results when in operation. the slightest turn can rip a ship apart. going too fast will be too much to handle. formal or emergency repairs need to be made for full structural integrity.
likewise, the stresses of life will reveal our weaknesses, the truth of our hearts. God is light and reveals our weaknesses so that he can make us whole and complete. often God uses the stresses of life to reveal our duplicity and offer us the opportunity for repairs. that's grace. without it we'd be sinking ships beyond repair. he desires for us to come to him in honesty, no pretenses. he desires for us to live in integrity so that the world can blessed in truth and love. so we live with integrity - being honest, not rewarding wickedness but holding up righteousness, and steadfastness to our promises [ps 15] - because we love him and we love others.
posted by affectionate @ 2/06/2004 09:44:00 AM
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