Randy Alcorn is not only a brilliant theologian; he’s also a fiction writer. He has this ability to talk about complex things and present them simply and intelligibly. His new book Truth is no exception. I’d like to send you a copy as a thank-you for donating to Harvest Ministries this month. Learn more »

Monday, August 28, 2017

The Power of Integrity

"I will be careful to live a blameless life - when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home."

—Psalm 101:2

What is integrity? It is having character—not being a character. (A lot of us would qualify there.) One definition suggests that integrity is what you are in the dark. In other words, who are you when you’re all alone and no one is watching?

Maybe our character could be determined by what kind of television programs catch our interest or the type of websites we might visit when no one is watching. What kind of thoughts would be in our heads if we knew that no one would be aware of them? Of course, God is always watching and aware, but we often forget that.

I like how Will Rogers put it: “So live that you would not mind selling your pet parrot to the town gossip.”
I heard the story of a pastor who boarded a bus one Monday morning. He paid his fare and took his seat, but then he realized that the bus driver had given him a lot of extra change. At the next stop the pastor went up to the bus driver and said, “Excuse me, sir, but you gave me too much change. I wanted to give it back to you.”

The bus driver said, “Pastor, I didn’t make a mistake. I was at your church yesterday, and I heard you preach on honesty. I wanted to see if you would live it.”
Compromisers reach no one. There is power in conviction. There is power in integrity, in godliness, and in standing up for what we believe.

Many times we don’t realize that people are watching us. They are paying attention to what we do. They may not tell us they are watching us, but they want to see if we are the real deal, if we are men and women of integrity.