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Friday, February 13, 2009

Integrity Does Matter

You can not turn on the news today without hearing about greed. From the CEO’s petitioning Washington to bail them out, to the leaders of our nation that feel they are above the law and don’t need to pay their taxes like you and I do.

What gets me is that so many of these people have been highly respected as they lived above most of America. People looked up to them because they have so much money and power. But, they don’t have the one thing that is most respectable, integrity. They are not honest people.

Honesty is defined as fairness and straightforwardness of conduct, adherence to the facts.

It’s not a difficult thing to understand. It’s called doing the right thing, even-and especially- when no one else is watching.

Doing the right thing is not difficult, unless you’re greedy.

Prov 15:27
27 A greedy man brings trouble to his family,
but he who hates bribes will live.
NIV


Prov 28:25
25 A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
NIV


It is sad to see this economy crumble and hurt so many people. I don’t know anyone that has not been affected by it and I don’t believe we’ve begun to see all that will happen in this country as a result of greed.

Deut 25:15-16
15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
16 For the LORD your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. NIV



I believe God is exposing the lies of so many that built their empires on the backs of hard working people. God will have the last word in this. You can fool a lot of people, but you can’t fool God. He sees what is done in secret. They may think they have gotten away with it, but He will shine His light in that darkness in due time.

Gal 6:7-8
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
NIV


And we as Christians, especially in leadership are held to an even higher standard because we bear His name. Honestly, that scares me, I don’t want to do anything to bring shame on His name.

1 Peter 5:1-4
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:
2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;
3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
NIV


I hesitate to talk about this much because it really gets to me. I’m disgusted with most (not all) of what I see on Christian television. The greed and manipulation under the guise of “prosperity” just sickens me.

I’ll never forget one time when a women came to the church that my husband was pastoring and afterwards wrote me a letter about how we need to focus more on giving, that the offering wasn’t preached about enough. Well…I’m sorry. But we have this crazy idea that if you want to give, you will. We don’t have to convince or manipulate you to do it.
Giving is at the heart of who God is. If we know and love the Lord, we will be givers.

The bottom line is, the truth always comes out. The corrupt leaders in this nation are finding that out the hard way. The same will continue in the Church. That is why we are never to put any person on a pedestal, that is reserved for God alone. Of course we respect authority and position, but not to the point of thinking that they are somehow "extra holy," they are human just like you and I.

A perfect example of this is our President today. When you go beyond respect and straight to “awe” your setting yourself up to be disappointed. If you think your pastor walks on water, you’re setting yourself up to get hurt. They have a call on their life to care for, oversee and serve you…but they don’t have a halo over their heads. Hopefully they have integrity, if not, it will come out eventually.

But for you and I, we need to do the right thing-because it’s the right thing!

Integrity does matter.

This verse is says it well:
Mic 6:8
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
NIV

16 comments:

Mel said...

Sue I bet you would not be one bit shocked to know that I agree with you :).

I do think we (the collective we) have brought hero worship to a new level.

Praise and Coffee said...

lol, I'm stunned! :)

Hero worship, great way to put it!

Susan said...

So well said, as always. One of my constant prayers is that evil be revealed and yes I think we are beginning to see just that. May we stand in total Integrity and Truth.
Susan

Wanda said...

Oh yes ma'am it does! We see so much corruption around us but as you and I both know....God is the ultimate judge and he doesn't look away from sin.
Watching people prosper and soar on top of the world is so frustrating. But we cannot let it eat us up. In the end....it will be handled by our Lord. We should feel such sorrow for them. The consequences will be so sad.
I pray they will see their way and repent....and change.

I understand that worship thing too. I am absolutely amazed at my fellow citizens gaga-ness over our President. It's so crazy!
Who would even think of putting all their hopes and faith in a fleshly MAN!?!
Mindboggling!

Smelling Coffee said...

Well said - and so true! How I pray that God will lift up leaders of integrity - and that He will continue His work in my life and my family's lives to form us into men and women, boys, and girls of integrity!

Joan said...

I pray that God opens the eyes of the people and gives us boldness to call out the hypocrites and expose them at every level of society - government and the body of Christ included.
Great post!
Blessings

Anonymous said...

In this one post you have touched on so many of the things I have been thinking myself lately. I myself did not vote for our present leader but I he probably carries one of the heaviest loads of any of the leaders in the past. Not only does he have a country to lead that seems to be falling apart, he also has the weight of all the people that look to him as if he himself were GOD.

I think there are a lot of people in government and in these large companies that could live with a lot less if they thought about it.

I like you am not sure we have seen the worset of it yet but I do know that GOD will keep HIS people in HIS hands and this is what gets me through each day.

Thank you for sharing,

Anonymous said...

Sue,
I call it Idol worship! When there are such shows on tv as American idol, we have a problem in America.
America is "We the People".

God alone is to be worhipped.

Thank you, Sue, for your words.
May I be so bold as to say that some Christians have remained silent for far too long. We have a voice that needs to be heard.

"Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom." ~President Thomas Jefferson

Miriam

Xandra@Heart-of-Service said...

I'm glad you mentioned putting our pastors on pedestals as well. We should love and value them. We should heed their admonitions and be encouraged by their words, but they are men. Men who sin and who fall short just like we do, and we do them a disservice by making them out to be perfect in some way.

Great post...

Xandra

Quiltingranny said...

Amen!

Heather C said...

Very adequately timed for me. Thank you. GREAT truth here... excellent post.

Anonymous said...

Amen Sue!
This has been on our (Ron and my) hearts alot lately. The lack of integrity and the great amount of greed in our nation.
God Bless

Pat Thacker said...

You are so right God has just started to reveal the evil & lies that have gone on for years and caused so much pain and heartache,nothing but Greed and I know he is going to use our new President greatly and I do so thank God for him!!
Numbers 6:24~26
Isaiah 45:1 President Obama can be used by God just as well as anyone!

Tamatha said...

AAAHHH!!! I love it! That is a great post!:o) Thanks Sue!

LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE...GOD'S GRACE said...

Great post!! And well said!

Blessings!

~Beth

Mary Lou said...

You are so on target. Thank you for stating what is so obvious and is now out there for so many to see, who will open their eyes. I keep thinking of the story The Emperor's New Clothes everytime I see the President on TV....so many don't see him for what he truly is...a man with many flaws...He is not our Messiah nor our Savior and the government just got into our lives in a much bigger way. Thank you for your post..You said it beautifully and you are so right.

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