"They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth." Mark 12:14
Integrity can be tough to define. So I want to begin by talking about bananas. That's right bananas. If you go to the store and buy bananas what you are basing your decision on is the peel (stay with me). You never actually see the meat of the banana; you just know it's there. All you ever saw was the peel. But every time you pull the peel off the banana , there is a banana inside. You know exactly what's going to be in there. You don't peel a banana slowly with a sense of anticipation, hoping there will be a banana inside. You know exactly what's going to be in there. That's integrity. What's on the outside is an indication of what's on the inside.
Integrity means that who you are in public is the same person you are in private. It is ultimately the personification of truth. When we build our lives on the truth of God's Word, we begin to live from the inside out. Ultimately integrity makes us trustworthy.
When our character is defined by integrity we can be trusted to lead. When we lack integrity, we tend to want to control or put ourselves in a position of power over people. The depth of your integrity determines how you will use authority when you are entrusted with it.
If you look at the life of Jesus you will see this play out. Jesus used his authority as an extension of his power. He used his power to serve. With his place of authority he chose not to hold power but to release it to those around him.
"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 18-20
As men we were created to lead. As leaders we must pursue integrity. If you simply look around in our culture you will see the consequences of pursuing authority without first becoming a person of integrity. As the church we need to set the standard for integrity. Let's go back to the banana for a moment. If someone could peel you what would they find? Is what's on the outside a reflection of what's on the inside?
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