Maintain Integrity
In January when Dennis and I sat down to figure out what we were going to preach about, the inauguration of President Obama was just a few weeks away. We decided to preach a sermon series based on the biblical advice we would want to give the president, our leaders, and all of us. Dennis started by encouraging us to pursue peace with as much energy and vigor as we do war. The following week I preached about concern for the poor and how those of us who have been blessed with so much, need to live simple so that others may simply live. Last week Dennis reminded us of the importance of valuing our differences and building unity in the midst of diversity. This week I want to talk about maintaining integrity.
Integrity is a hot button word these days, especially in politics. Many politicians run on the platform of being a person of integrity, only to have skeletons in their closets revealed at a later date. In fact it’s so common that for many people politics is a dirty word. Most of us just assume that if you’re in politics then you’re corrupt on some level. A lot of this sense of corruption and lack of integrity stems from politicians saying one thing and doing another.
Our scripture passage today talks about this very thing. In this passage Jesus tells his followers not to swear an oath. In Jewish culture, swearing an oath was a way of saying that these words I’m about to say are especially true. An oath was typically sworn in the name of a deity. Both gentiles and Jews believed that an oath invoked the deity to guarantee that the words spoken in the oath were true. If they were untrue, the deity was responsible for punishing the one who made the oath.
Oaths were agreements made between two parties with the name of God invoked as a guarantee. Vows were promises made directly to God. Anything sworn as an oath had to be true, and any vow taken had to be completed.
It’s sort of the equivalent of testifying under oath in our courts. Lying in general may be considered morally wrong but it’s not considered a crime. However, lying under oath is a criminal offense. Having people who testify in court swear an oath before testifying is an attempt by the courts to guarantee that the words spoken will be true.
But Jesus says that for followers of Christ, an oath shouldn’t be necessary. Instead we should simply let our yes be yes and our no be no. In other words, everything we say should be true. If we promise to do something we should follow through on it. As Christians we should be so honest in all that we do, that swearing an oath would be redundant and unnecessary. Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
In his book “People of Integrity” William Morgan Jr. defines integrity as “the God given strength to respond to life in relationship to God, instead of reacting on our own.” (pg 21) “Integrity is the God given strength to respond to life in relationship to God instead of reacting on our own.”
That’s probably the best definition I’ve ever heard of integrity. It certainly encompasses all the different aspects of integrity. That definition encompasses the idea of say what you mean and mean what you say. It would include things like maintaining financial integrity, academic integrity, sexual integrity, and professional integrity. Every aspect of our life is included in this definition. There is not a single area of life that is left out or exempt.
If we are responding to life in relationship to God instead of acting on our own, then we won’t do things like embezzle money, cheat on our spouses, cheat on a test in school, or go back on our word. Instead we would return a lost wallet with all the money still in it, we’d be attentive to our marriages actively working to build up our spouse and to encourage them, we’d be diligent in our studies and truthful about how much we actually know. We’d say what we mean and follow through on the promises we make.
I think most of us would pretty readily agree that maintaining integrity is something everyone should do, but something Christians in particular should be concerned about. A life of integrity is hard work. It takes a lot more thought and effort than a life lacking in integrity. So how exactly do we go about maintaining our integrity?
It may seem really basic, but I think a good starting place is to be intentional about our relationship with God. If integrity is responding to life in relationship to God instead of reacting on our own, then it seems to me that our relationship with God is a real crucial part of that. If we are not developing and deepening our relationship with God, it is difficult for us to respond to life out of that relationship with God. On the other hand, if we are relationship with God is a priority in our life and we are continually growing in faith, then responding to life in relationship to God is a very natural response.
Lent is a perfect time to be intentional about nurturing our relationship with God. Lent is a period of 40 days that last from Ash Wednesday, which is this coming Wednesday, until Easter. Lent is a time of reflection where we reflect on our relationship with God and what things God may be calling us to change.
In your bulletin there is a list of Lenten studies that are being offered. Taking one of these short six week classes during lent is a great way to be more intentional about your relationship with God. Or maybe for these six weeks of lent you commit to do a short devotional every day. Another great option is to commit to coming to the holy week services as an act of love and waiting with Jesus. Coming to the services during Holy week makes the Easter Sunday service that much more powerful!
Many people during lent give something up. Often it’s something like chocolate or desserts, something relatively small that has little or nothing to do with our relationship with God. But I would encourage you, if you give up something during lent try to make it something meaningful, something that is preventing you from following Jesus more closely. Maybe that would be spending 15 less minutes a day watching TV so you can use that time to focus on your family or use that time to do a short devotion or to just sit and listen to God.
There are many different ways that we can focus on and be intentional about nurturing our relationship with God. Staying grounded in our faith is an essential part of living a life of integrity and Lent is the perfect time to take a few small steps in that direction.
Another thing that is important in maintaining our integrity is to know yourself. An important part of maintaining integrity is not putting yourself in unnecessarily compromising situations. If you know things are not going well in your marriage, don’t work late hours alone with someone of the opposite sex, or have lunches just the two of you. That just sets yourself up for giving into temptation. If you are tempted to cheat on a test, sit next to the person in class who knows less than you do. If you know that you have trouble budgeting your money then unsubscribe to all of those email advertisements from various stores that will make you tempted to send money you don’t have. If you have an addiction to alcohol, don’t go to a bar. We could do a lot to maintain our integrity if we acknowledge the areas we struggle in and avoid unnecessary temptation.
A third thing we can do to maintain integrity is to have an accountability partner. This would be someone that we would call BEFORE we give into temptation. An accountability partner should be someone you trust and respect. It should be someone you will be able to be honest with when you are struggling. Then when you are feeling tempted in a particular area you can call your accountability partner. They can pray with you and for you. They can help remind you of all the reasons why that course of action is not a good one and they can help give you suggestions to resist the temptation you are facing.
We don’t have to live a life of integrity alone. In fact that’s the whole point. Integrity is responding to life in relationship to God not simply on our own. We don’t have to do it alone. We are supposed to rely on God, and to support one another. A life of integrity is important, it’s one of those things that should set Christians apart from others in our society. Yet one of the number one complaints about Christians by non-Christians is that Christians are hypocrites. Our corporate lack of integrity not only causes people to think less of us, but it tarnishes the image of Jesus, it makes people less likely to accept the love and grace offered by Jesus because of how we act. We as a community of faith need to focus on maintaining our integrity, and to remember that we are to respond to life in relationship to God instead of reacting and depending on our own strength. Integrity is important, it’s not only our reputation on the line, but Jesus’ reputation as well. This year, let’s use Lent as a time to be intentional about how we can maintain our integrity.
Amen.
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