“He who walks with integrity walks securely; the man who takes crooked paths will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9
Health professionals recommend that we walk 10,000 steps per day. It’s an ambitious goal and can be tough to accomplish with our jam-packed schedules. Most of us walk roughly 3,000-4,000 steps or about 1.5-2 miles a day.
Whether we’re avid walkers or prefer a leisurely stroll, the Lord wants our steps saturated with integrity.
What is integrity?
Integrity is more than maintaining high moral standards or an impeccable degree of honesty. It is, first and foremost, about living an integrated life – a life that holistically revolves around a set of guiding values and principles.
For the Christ-follower, this means every area of life is centered around Jesus. Living with integrity means we recognize there is no division between sacred and secular, online and offline, or public and private. Life is not compartmentalized. Everything is linked and interconnected to our walk with Jesus.
Integrity is comprised of three all-encompassing words – wherever, whatever, and whenever.
Wherever we are,
Whatever we’re doing, and
Whenever we’re doing it…we are called to live with the utmost integrity.
Are you starting to feel the weight of Solomon’s words?
I am.
If we fail to heed his wise warning, we risk being “found out.” The Hebrew word, ‘yiwwadea,’ connotes something being made known that we’ve kept concealed. And as if the Lord is highlighting the forewarning, this is the only occurrence of the phrasing of this particular word in all of Scripture.
Maybe we need to pay extra attention.
Many who take “crooked paths” are never exposed. So, this isn’t a guarantee. But haven’t we seen the truth of this proverb play out time and again?
My friends, the world is starved for individuals of genuine integrity.
I believe the world, maybe now more than ever before, needs to see Christian men/women rise up and exemplify irresistible integrity in all areas of life. We must demonstrate that Jesus has powerfully changed us from the inside out. So much so that our ‘walk’ truly matches our ‘talk’ and every crevice of our character testifies to the veracity of what we say we believe.
No matter how daunting the pursuit may be, we must never cease striving for integrity. There is too much at stake.
Candidly, it’s humbling to write these words.
I’m aware of little compromises in my integrity. I bet you are, too.
We rejoice today, not because of our flawless performance but because Jesus has walked the perfect path of integrity on our behalf.
Cling to Him. Confess and repent.
Regardless of past failures or present missteps, aim to walk with integrity once again.
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
