INTEGRITY – PART 2

What Ear The Benefits of Integrity?

Psalm 24:3-5: -- Who may climb the mountain of Adonai? Who may stand in His holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive Adonai’s blessing and have right standing with YHVH their Saviour. Proverbs 28:20: -- The trustworthy will get a rich reward. But the person who wants to get rich quick will only get into trouble. Isaiah 56:1-2: -- Be just and fair to all, say Adonai. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you. Blessed are those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honour My Shabbat days of rest by refusing to work. And blessed are those who keep themselves from doing wrong. Isaiah 32:8: -- Good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do. Proverbs 20:7: The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them. Not only does YHVH bless us when we live our lives with integrity, but future generations also benefit from our integrity.

How do we Develop Integrity in Our Lives?

Proverbs 2:1-2, 5, 9: -- My child, listen to Me and treasure My instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding… Then you will understand what it means to fear Adonai, and you will gain knowledge of YHVH… Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will know how to find the right course of action every time. Cultivate a right relationship with YHVH, for He is the source of all true integrity. Proverbs 16:11: -- Adonai demands fairness in every business deal; He sets the standard. Proverbs 1:3: -- Through these proverbs, people will receive instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just, and fair. Look to YHVH and His Word for therein is the standard of integrity. Proverbs 11:3, 5: -- Good people are guided by their honesty; treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty… The godly are directed by their honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. Luke 16:10: -- Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 2 Corinthians 4:2: -- We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the Word of YHVH. We tell the truth before YHVH, and all who are honest know that. Numbers 13:30-33: -- Caleb tried to encourage the people as they stood before Moses. Let’s go at once to take the land, he said. We can certainly conquer it! But the other men who had explored the land with him answered, We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are! So, they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites: The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that’s what we looked like to them! Numbers 14:24: -- My servant Caleb is different from the others. He has remained loyal to Me, and I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will receive their full share of that land. Deuteronomy 1:35-36: -- Not one of you from this entire wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see this land because he has followed Adonai completely. I will give to him and his descendants some of the land he walked over during his scouting mission. Consistently live honest lives in all our responsibilities and with all people even when truth is in the minority. We must not only possess integrity; we must practice integrity.

How is Integrity Evidenced in our Lives?

Daniel 6:4: -- Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. 2 Corinthians 7:2: -- Please open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone. We have not led anyone astray. We have not taken advantage of anyone. Titus 2:7-8: -- You yourself must be an example to them by doing good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Let your teaching be so correct that it can’t be criticized. Then those who want to argue will be ashamed because they won’t have anything bad to say about us. By the way we conduct ourselves and the way we treat others. Our words and actions are to be consistent and above reproach. Job 27:4-6: -- My lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies. I will never concede that you are right; until I die, I will defend my innocence. I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live. Acts 23:1: -- Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: Brothers, I have always lived before YHVH in all good conscience! Acts 24:16: -- I always try to maintain a clear conscience before YHVH and everyone else. 1 Timothy 1:19: -- Cling tightly to your faith in Moshiach, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. By keeping our conscience clear before YHVH and others.

What Tests Integrity?

Psalm 26:1-3: -- Declare me innocent, O Adonai, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in Adonai without wavering. Put me on trial, Adonai, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections. For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. YHVH examines our lives for integrity. Luke 16:10-11: -- Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? Exodus 18:21: -- Find some capable, honest men who fear YHVH and hate bribes. Appoint them as judges over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. Deuteronomy 16:19: -- You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly.

The Lust For Money and Bribes Tests our Integrity:

1 Peter 2:12: Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbours. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will believe and give honour to YHVH when He comes to judge the world. Romans 12:21: -- Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. Genesis 39:8-12: -- Look, [Joseph] told her, my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do! He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I ever do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against YHVH. She kept putting pressure on him day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day however, no one else was around when he was doing his work inside the house. She came and grabbed him by his shirt, demanding, Sleep with me! Joseph tore himself away, but as he did, his shirt came off. She was left holding it as he ran from the house. Hebrews 11:24-25: -- It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of YHVH’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. Living in a faithless world with its evils, temptations and sinful pleasures tests our integrity. We are torn between two loves, two worlds.

What is the Cost of Integrity?

Proverbs 29:10, 27: -- The bloodthirsty hate the honest, but the upright seek out the honest. …the godly despise the wicked. Amos 5:10: -- How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth! Proverbs 17:26: -- It is wrong to fine the godly for being good or to punish nobles for being honest! Isaiah 59:14-15: -- Our courts oppose people who are righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth falls dead in the streets, and fairness has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked. Adonai looked and was displeased to find that there was no justice. We may develop enemies who hate us for always wanting to do right, and for exposing what is wrong. This may lead to insults, ridicule, or even unjust punishment because of our integrity. The earthly cost of integrity, however, falls far short of the eternal reward.