I
am back from a week of vacation. We traveled to the North Shore of Lake
Superior in northern Minnesota. It was glorious. We had to return a little
early because I had to officiate at a funeral. The funeral was for a 93 year
old man. I was with him and his family when he died.
Al
was one of the “Greatest Generation” of Americans. He grew up during the Great
Depression. Like many others, he had to struggle to find a job and just to make
ends meet. Then WWII broke out. He answered the call and enlisted in the Navy.
He served in the South Pacific. Returning home after the war he started a
family, farmed and eventually operated a small town bank. He retired in our
community and became a part of our church.
At
the funeral several people reflected upon Al’s life. There was a recurring
theme that popped up in each of the reflections: integrity. Al was a soft
spoken man. He was disciplined and conscientious. But the thing that stood out
was his integrity. He was guided by principle and not popular opinion.
No
one lives a perfect, sinless life. We all make mistakes and even fail along the
way. But we all can live lives of integrity. In Ephesians 4:1-3, the Apostle
Paul challenges us to live up to our calling in Christ. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of
the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace.
True
integrity is not a façade we create for others to see but the core of who we
are. Integrity begins on the inside and works its way out. It begins with a
deep conviction to live according to God’s standards.
A person
of integrity is not perfect, nor do they always get things right. They are
willing to own up to their mistakes, make amends if necessary and learn from
them. They are unwilling to hide their mistakes or push them off onto someone
else. Instead they acknowledge their failures and seek to grow through them.
A
person of integrity is generally consistent in their attitudes and actions, not
being swayed by public opinion or pressure. So much of life today is controlled
by the latest opinion poll or the loudest voice in the media. A person of
integrity has developed the ability to discern truth from error and to choose
the truth. Having a firm handle on the truth sets a person free from the ever
changing winds of society. To the Jews
who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free." John 8:31-32 (NIV)
A
person of integrity understands who they are. They know both their strengths
and their weaknesses. They are comfortable with their gifts and talents and
feel no need to flaunt them or call undue attention to them. Paul urges us to
gain a proper understanding of ourselves in Romans 12:3. For by the grace given me I say to every one
of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think
of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God
has given you.
A
person of integrity is not consumed with their image. In many ways they are
self-forgetting, not needing or wanting to have the spotlight focused on them.
A
person of integrity is in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. They do not
presume to have made it. They do not assume that they are better than others. They
focus on knowing and serving Christ. Paul modeled that for us. I leave you with
his words of challenge and encouragement.
But
whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is
more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider
them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of
his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like
him in his death, and so,
somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all
this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet
to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for
which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:7-14 (NIV)
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