Integrity #1—Satisfying Integrity

Being “double-minded” leads to profound instability in every area of life. When we allow ourselves to be divided—be it spiritually, ethically, morally, intellectually, or emotionally—we open the door to unhappiness and ultimately regret. In stark contrast, a single-minded individual—someone who embodies integrity—experiences no such inner turmoil. Integrity instills a powerful sense of wholeness and peace. Yet, maintaining this integrity is often a significant challenge in a rapidly disintegrating culture. To reinforce our faith during moments of doubt and resist the urge to serve multiple masters, we will benefit from reflecting on these promises.

You cannot serve two masters; for either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will hold to one and despise the other. You can either serve God the Creator or the creation. … So seek first his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:24, 33

A wise man once said, “What we hope in, we worship; what we worship, we serve.” So there is a sense in which everyone lives with integrity. Diversity might be a prudent approach to financial investments. But it will never do as a life strategy. At any one time, we can have only one source of hope. So our eggs are always in one basket or another, even if we change baskets frequently. Because Jesus has our good in mind, he declared that if we hook up with God, we will be far more satisfied in life than if we serve some created entity. Serving “the creation” (anything in the universe other than the Creator) requires that we secure and protect and nurture and manipulate it. However, serving God only requires that we place ourselves in a position for him to work for us: There is no other deity like ours, “who works for those who wait for him.” The choice is simple: the created or the Creator. Such is Jesus’ promise: If we seek to live under God’s rule and by God’s rules, we will receive God’s rewards. This is integrity worth maintaining, worth fighting for.

“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; so my eyes look to you O Yahweh, my deity, until you are gracious to me.”