Integrity

"Integrity means strict adherence to a moral conviction or ethical code of honor that doesn’t allow one to do certain things that would debase him / her."

Honesty may lead to confession or admission of guilt, but it may not be sufficient to influence correct behavior. Integrity means there is a commitment to the principles espoused as being correct.

A story is told of a mother who once took her child to one leader, asking him to tell the young boy not to eat sugar because it was not good for his diet or his developing teeth. The leader replied, ‘I cannot tell him that. But you may bring him back in a month.’ "The mother was angry as the man moved on, brushing her aside. She had traveled some distance and had expected the leader to support her parenting. She had little recourse, so she left for her home. One month later she returned, not knowing what to expect. "The man took the small child’s hands into his own, knelt down before him, and tenderly communicated, ‘Do not eat sugar, my child. It is not good for you.’ Then he embraced him and returned the boy to his mother. The mother, grateful but perplexed, asked, ‘Why didn’t you say that a month ago?’ "‘Well,’ said the man, ‘a month ago I was still eating sugar.’" What power in example! What power in integrity!

"God wants men in His service, under His banner, to be strictly honest, unimpeachable in character, that their tongues shall not utter a semblance of untruth. The tongue must be true, the eyes must be true, the actions wholly and entirely such as God can commend. We are living in the sight of a holy God, who solemnly declares, "I know thy works." The divine eye is ever upon us. We cannot cover one act of unjust deal from God. The witness of God to our every action is a truth which but few realize" {CG 152}.

"Those who realize their dependence upon God will feel that they must be honest with their fellow men, and, above all, they must be honest with God, from whom come all the blessings of life. The evasion of the positive commands of God concerning tithes and offerings is registered in the books of heaven as robbery toward Him" {CG 152}.

"Men are wanted whose sense of justice, even in the smallest matters, will not allow them to make an entry of their time that is not minute and correct--men who will realize that they are handling means that belong to God, and who would not unjustly appropriate one cent to their own use; men who will be just as faithful and exact, careful and diligent, in their labor, in the absence of their employer as in his presence, proving by their faithfulness that they are not merely men-pleasers, eye-servants, but are conscientious, faithful, true workmen, doing right, not for human praise, but because they love and choose the right from a high sense of their obligation to God" {CG 153}.

"In every business transaction a Christian will be just what he wants his brethren to think he is. His course of action is guided by underlying principles. He does not scheme; therefore he has nothing to conceal, nothing to gloss over. He may be criticized, he may be tested, but his unbending integrity will shine forth like pure gold. He is a blessing to all connected with him, for his word is trustworthy. He is a man who will not take advantage of his neighbor. He is a friend and benefactor to all, and his fellow men put confidence in his counsel. . . . A truly honest man will never take advantage of weakness and incompetency in order to fill his own purse" {CG 153}.

"In all the details of life the strictest principles of honesty are to be maintained. . . . Deviation from perfect fairness in business deal may appear as a small thing in the estimation of some, but our Saviour did not thus regard it. His words on this point are plain and explicit: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." A man who will overreach his neighbor on a small scale will overreach in a larger scale if the temptation is brought to bear upon him. A false representation in a small matter is as much dishonesty in the sight of God as falsity in a larger matter" {CG 154}. Integrity and Personal Health

Integrity has personal as well as public health ramifications. It would teach us to recognize our common vulnerability and inherent weaknesses, but also our intrinsic worth and rightful equality as humans with inalienable rights. Such insight influences our belief in our commonality, our kinship in the human family, and our value to society in general. A great deal of mental ill health could be avoided if we possessed sufficient integrity that we would not impose our will on others, nor allow ourselves to be depreciated in our own eyes by the opinions of others. God help us to celebrate Integrity as we seek to have and maintain the best of health and also as we wait for Christ’s second coming.