Devotionals

Integrity

Introduction

Who am I when no one's looking? It's a question that we all should answer at some point in our lives, if not on a daily basis. Integrity is an important concept in the Bible, and it can be often overlooked in our own lives. Since integrity is doing what is right even when there's no one else to see it, we sometimes lower our standards of integrity. After all, if no one's there to witness our good deeds, do they really count? Was it really worth doing the right thing if no one was watching? All this and more will be discussed in this devotional based on integrity, so let's dive in!

Matthew 6:1-4 says this: ""Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
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So what does that mean? Well, these verses are basically telling us that motives are more important than the good deeds you do. In other words, God cares about your heart and if you're doing things for the right reasons. Please don't misunderstand me. It's not wrong to do good deeds in public if you have the right motive, that's the take-home message.

Think about it like this: God doesn't need things from us. He's the creator of the universe. Our purpose is to live out the will He has for our lives, yes, but our hearts also matter quite a lot as well. The Bible mentions good deeds again in the following verse (Matthew 5:16): "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
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We can have a great amount of influence on others, so let's be sure to influence people in the right ways. Don't boast about all the good things you did. Instead, give the glory to God. After all, He is the one who gave you those particular opportunities.

Now let's discuss how a story in the Old Testament can model integrity. The full story is Daniel 1:3-20, but we're just going to focus on a few verses in particular. Background of the story: Daniel (main character) and his friends were Jewish teenagers held captive by King Nebuchadnezzar (Neb for short) and were forced to eat a certain way so they would grow stronger to be in the King's army when they were older.

Daniel 1:8 tells us this: "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." Why did Daniel refuse to eat the King's food? Think about it. No one would've known if he ate it, so why didn't he? Having integrity means that you are uncompromising to situations that don't match up with your beliefs.
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Lastly, I want you to picture three trees. One is dead, one is half-alive (doing okay), and one is flourishing abundantly. Now let's relate this to your spiritual life. Which tree do you want to be? Romans 5:3-4 reminds us to see trials as opportunities to grow in our faith. "Not only so, but we also have glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
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Pushing through trials in life is known as endurance, which is a great way to grow our character. We will make mistakes in life, there's no doubt about that. But by having integrity, we can remember that failure is not the end. Just because we messed up doesn't mean we give up on trying to do the right thing ever again. Integrity is doing what's right when no one's looking. What will you do when faced with a situation and it's just you and God watching? I encourage you to have integrity.