How Predictable Are You?

14. July 2010 by Annette Colon-Alvarenga.

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 11:3

Integrity: Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code; the quality or state of being complete; unbroken condition; wholeness; entirety.

As you can see from the definition, integrity has much to do with one’s personal moral or ethical code. It has nothing to do with any particular religion. It has nothing to do with any particular culture. Nor does it have to do with any particular style of government. Rather it’s acting in accordance with your convictions, with what you personally believe to be right. So, depending on your moral or ethical believes and standards, as long as you act accordingly, you are a person of integrity.

For Christians, integrity then means that what we say, think and do corresponds with the truth as it has been revealed by God in His Word; speaking, thinking and doing in a Christ-like manner. While we generally get the big decisions right, it’s those small decisions we make at times that will determine whether we are persons of Christian integrity. Do you make decisions based on your core Christian beliefs or do you simply move about depending on your present circumstances or who your sphere of influence is at the moment?

I will admit that I have not always had a sense of integrity. It wasn’t until I committed my life to Christ that I found myself having to strictly define my moral and ethical standards and to commit to following them no matter how the wind was blowing. God’s Word warns us as believers that we are not to conform to the pattern of the world; rather we are to renew our minds so that we may be transformed to Christ-likeness. (Romans 12:2) When we fail to conform to the Christian world view and to live our lives accordingly with Christ-like integrity, we become guilty of duplicity (deceit, hypocrisy, dishonesty, falsehood,) and, as Proverbs 11:3 makes clear, that will eventually lead to destruction.

Recently I have been placed in a position where I have had to make an uncomfortable decision. It’s not a big decision, but it is one that tests my heart; not because it’s a difficult decision to make but, rather, because it has the potential of jeopardizing a friendship. Most people, even committed Christians, would not consider it a matter of importance. In fact, most wouldn’t even consider it a matter that requires any thought whatsoever. But it is important to me and I do feel that if I do not take this stance, I would compromise my convictions; it would create a “broken condition” in me. Perhaps I take things a little too seriously (I have been told that I tend to do that). Perhaps I’m overzealous and take God’s Word to heart a little too intensely. Or perhaps it’s the necessity I feel to live in a way that causes God to rejoice in me (1 Chronicles 29:17). I’ve also been accused of being fanatical. Whatever it is, it is what compels me to maintain my integrity.

Every day we wake up and we are faced with choices – what we will do and how we will live out our lives. Those daily decisions, whether big or small reflect our commitment to the Lord we proclaim. If we say we maintain Christian integrity, then our daily decisions should be quite predictable to those around us. John Maxwell wrote:

“Integrity is the factor that determines which one will prevail. We struggle daily with situations that demand decisions between what we want to do and what we ought to do. Integrity establishes the ground rules for resolving these tensions. It determines who we are and how we will respond before the conflict even appears. Integrity welds what we say, think, and do, into a whole person so that permission is never granted for one of these to be out of sync.”

Question: How would those who know you describe you? Are you predictable or unpredictable?

[M]y lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit. I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live. Job 27:4-6

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