Walking in Integrity

"He who walks in integrity, walks securely."

To walk in integrity is a difficult choice--only possible through the enabling of the Spirit. To walk in integrity is to live a life that is in perfect balance with what one claims to believe. It is to be who you say you are in light of what you claim to be true about God, His character, and His daily presence in your life and in your circumstances. Paul in the New Testament calls it "walking worthy." He uses a term related to scales used in the market place to buy food. You would put a one pound weight on one side of the scale and then put the produce on the other side--when the scale balanced, you had a "worthy" purchase. Spiritually, you have a worthy walk when what you claim to believe is in perfect balance with the life you live. And in perfect balance no matter who you are with and no matter the circumstances in which you find yourself. And any believer can live a life of integrity. It does not rest in how much you know, but how consistently you rest in the Spirit's control so that you live out what you know. It's not a matter of age, intelligence, or spiritual maturity, but a matter of submission to let Christ live through you--no matter what. Whether your circumstances are like a refreshing cool breeze on a hot summer's day, like an Arctic vortex on a frigid winter's morning, or like the whirlwind of a summer's destructive storm, you are the same--your behavior doesn't change. Your walk is a worthy walk--a walk of integrity. As David says, you are like a tree planted by the rivers of life--steadfast, and not like the wicked who in their self-centered meanderings through life are like the chaff that is tossed about in even the slightest breeze and devastated by life's whirlwinds.

Now, what are the basics of a walk of integrity?

First, it is an honest life. Honest in word--my "yes" is a "yes" and my "no" is a "no." Honest in walk--how I treat and respond to you today will be the exact same way that I treat and respond to you tomorrow. Honest in vulnerability--my faults are many, and I believe and am thankful that our Lord has put you in my life to strengthen me in my weaknesses; I cannot live this life without your exhortation, grace, and fellowship.
It is, in addition, a walk of speaking words that are a fountain of life. I must be slow to speak, careful to say what encourages and builds up in the faith. I must never forget that the tongue can start a raging fire in a drought-afflicted heart.
I must have a forgiving heart--a heart that readily forgives transgressions--eagerly forgives even those who have deliberately and maliciously hurt me and those I love. Even those who continue to do so.
I must have a teachable spirit--I must understand that I am called to be a life-long learner. No matter how deep my relationship with Him, I have barely "scratched the surface" in understanding the majesty of who He is. And my transformation into His likeness has barely begun. Godly wisdom rests on an understanding of how little I know.
I must have the fear of the Lord. My decisions must always be made with His heart in mind. I dare not grieve His love, dare not hurt His heart through willing disobedience--active or passive.
I must be diligent. I must do all that I do with all my might. He promises each day that I will have the strength I need to glorify Him in all things. I must rely on and use that strength day by day.
I must have His heart toward my money. He has called me to make a living for myself and my family--not to make a profit. My "extra" resources must be invested in the needs of others that He reveals to me. Only then will I truly grasp the real richness of life with Him as my Lord and my Provider.
I must have the right perspective. All my blessings--even the one's that don't seem like blessings--are a gift of His love and the working out of His wisdom in my life. Knowing that every blessing comes from Him, none of them are small, insignificant blessings. He deliberately gave them to me! Each day is a day that requires a heart of gratitude.

What are the "products" of a walk with integrity? What does security look like?
A life filled with memorials, memories of those times that He has shown His love for me--often when I least expected it, certainly when I did not deserve it. And as memorials to His love, I with joy can proclaim them to others. As His redeemed one, I can say so.
A life that when my parents think of me, their hearts are filled with joy.
A life that is immersed in an unquenchable gladness. I have an inescapable Hope--I will see Him. How can one who is the child of the Father by choice and adoption before the world began not be glad? How can a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords live in the regret of a grace cleansed past, live in anguish of today's challenges when I have a promise of a victorious present, or wallow in pity over an imagined future not to my liking when I am a joint-heir with my blessed Savior?

May God in His grace and love and discipline enable me to walk in integrity, to walk each day in security.

"He who walks in integrity will walk securely."