The word integrity derives from the word integer, a mathematical term for a whole number as opposed to a fraction. So, when you walk in integrity, that means you tell the whole truth and not just a fraction of it. So why do we sometimes slant the truth, embellish it, or tell half-truths? Sometimes it’s for personal or financial gain. Sometimes it’s to hide our actions or to make ourselves look good. Jacob, whose name meant ‘trickster,’ conspired with his mother and deceived his father into giving him the birthright of the firstborn – twice as much of their father’s inheritance which rightfully belonged to his older brother Esau. And Jacob paid dearly for his deception. He spent the next fourteen years as a fugitive working for his father-in-law, who was an even bigger cheat than Jacob. Finally, in despair, Jacob had an encounter with God and heard these words: ‘I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go…I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you’ (Genesis 28:15 NIV). That day Jacob’s value system changed, and the taker became a giver. He told God, ‘Of all that you give me I will give you a tenth’ (v. 22 NIV). And after that God blessed him beyond his wildest dreams. He returned home after many years with a beautiful family, great riches, and a new name: Israel. The truth is, God’s guiding us to walk alongside Him in integrity.
What Now?
Spend some time with someone who you think displays integrity well. See what you can learn from them and then apply it to your own life.