Integrity And Uprightness
Bienhome Muivah *
MBC, Chingmeirong on Ningol Chak-Kouba day on October 25 2014 :: Pix - Gnet Cyber Cafe
David wrote this prayer: "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait for you" (Ps.25:21). Another translation puts it this way, "Let integrity and uprightness be my bodyguards".
Both David and Solomon speak of integrity in the Psalms and Proverbs no less than 11 times. Solomon says, "He who walks in integrity walks securely" (Prov. 10:9).
The Hebrew word for "integrity" is translated as "soundness, simplicity, completeness and uprightness".
Integrity, therefore, is sincerity of heart and intention, truthfulness, uprightness, being sincere, honest, and pure of heart in all your intentions what do you do when no one is watching? Can you say you do what is right all the time no matter what the cost might be? That is integrity!
Is integrity just a quaint relic of earlier times, a time when things were less complicated and people trusted a man's word as his bond? The integrity that David and Solomon valued so highly is as vital today as it was, sin in ancient times. To build a team like David did, we need a commitment to integrity which sets us apart as children of God from others.
Many people today are cynical, skeptical, and suspicious and Integrity is a totally forsaken virtue.
A commitment of integrity reflects God's character to other. This is true because our God is a God of complete and perfect integrity! Number 23: 19 tells us that "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" God always keeps His promises.
This is an essential truth, because the entire Christian religion is based on God and His promises. If you don't walk in integrity you will never be secure, because you will always be worrying about covering your tracks, making sure your story is consistent, and making sure you didn't leave any clues that would eventually find you out.
Without integrity you will never build a team that will follow you. A father said to a son, "Son, your word is the greatest asset you have. Don't throw it away. If you tell a man you will be somewhere or do something for him and you shake hands on it, then be sure you keep that word, even if you have to walk over mountains and valleys to do it. Because your integrity and trust are at stake".
You cannot do it alone: Another key to David's effectiveness as a leader was that he didn't try to lead by himself. Regardless of your task, to be an effective leader (as a parent, a home maker, a business person, an employee, or in any other capacity), you must remember that you cannot do it alone.
Once a minister said, "There isn't a single person in the world who can make a pencil". He continued this thought by examining what goes into the manufacturing of a pencil. He explained that the wood has to come from a tree that was cut by lumberjack. The graphite has to be mined by miner in South America. The rubber for the eraser comes from a rubber tree on a Malaysian rubber plantation. It's true; it takes a countless number of a people to make just one pencil.
Therefore, to succeed as leaders, we need to recognize the necessity of having others of likeminded people working alongside us, sharing our vision and working toward a common goal.
Let integrity and uprightness be your bosom friends always.
* Bienhome Muivah wrote this article for Hueiyen Lanpao
The writer is a Church Ministry Promoter at MBC Centre Church, Imphal
This article was posted on November 02, 2014.
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