Nothing but the Truth

I was doing some leadership reading this morning and was reminded that the top wrung of the ladder, if we are wanting to be successful, is honesty. It amazes me when I visit with people who compromise in this area and yet expect somehow that dishonesty is fine as long as “no one gets hurt”. The thing to remember is that if decisions are based on false information, many people could be hurt and the one who stands to get hurt the most is the one who gave out the false information. I am proud to live in a nation that is based on laws that include an expectation that truth will be come out and will serve as a solid foundation.

I have no ulterior motives or particular examples in mind as I write this blog today. I just am blessed to hang out with people of integrity. It’s all about trust.

Significant Contributions

“The most significant contribution leaders make is not simply to today’s bottom line; it is to the long term development or people and institutions so they can adapt, change, prosper and grow.”

From the book “Leadership Challenge” by Kouzes and Ponser

The contributions we make in life many times have purposes and results that go far beyond what we see in the here and now. Many of the important issues of our personal lives have been influenced by the contributions of people many generations back. If your great grandfather had not married your great grandmother, you wouldn’t even be here. Many of the great works of art in the world today were contributions by artists who did not live to see that their work would be acclaimed as a masterpiece by the world. I read this week of a church that made a commitment to have a prayer meeting at a particular time every week for one hundred years. History shows that that church recorded more impact than any other in that area. The founders of that contribution had long been gone but their investment was still paying off. There will no doubt be things that my children and grandchildren will have and do because of investments made by us today. The key to this value is long term vision. My integrity today is of great importance to my great great grandchildren who I will never meet this side of heaven. John the Revelator wrote about long term vision:

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~REVELATION 21:10~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spritual Vitality vs. Soul Neglect

My morning reading (after reading out of the Bible) contained some great thoughts about spiritual vitality. When we experience spiritual vitality, we are able to enjoy God in the midst of life. Even in our dark and confused world, that inner light shines and radiates hope and purpose. Cheryl Taylor, in her writing about the difference between soul neglect and spiritual vitality, lists eight qualities of a healthy soul:

1. A continuing experience of grace
2. A sense of expectance that is rooted in faith
3. The ability to respond to and see life from God’s perspective
4. Resilience (ability to recover from misfortune or adjust to change)
5. Compassion
6. Zeal
7. Integrity
8. Gratitude

Spiritual vitality is worth going after. It is an adventure of love that comes from spontaneous and authentic interaction and intimacy with our Lord.

Integrity in relationships

Last night in the Men’s Bible Study we were talking about being determined for integrity. Setting the course, setting the pace and making the most of the opportunity to be men of integrity. In the course of our discussion we spent some time looking at the concept of integrity during the journey as well as at the destination. If we are doing that correctly, we will find a wonderful trail of relationships in our wake. Those solid relationships will make it possible for us to have people to trust. That trust is an important ingredient to the kind of integrity God expects. I am blessed with several friends that I can count on to do what they say they will do. My goal is to be that kind of person for others that I am around. It really is all about relationships.

Searching for Integrity

Last night our Monday night men’s Bible study began a series of classes on the subject of the journey to integrity. It was a lesson that I thought we would breeze through because we all have integrity, right? We marched right in to the opening thought by defining what is meant by the term. We boiled it down to a foundation of four words: Incorruptibility, Soundness, Completeness and Honesty. The lesson plan was to launch from there and go into the scriptures to look at the integrity of people like David, Moses, and ultimately, the prime example, Jesus Christ. We got stuck on a great discussion of corruption that has swept our society to the place that dishonesty has become the norm and we have become experts at rationalizing the little white lie. We become like the Pharisees and begin to be glad we are not like the people that do that and the Holy Spirit puts us under “arrest” and we find that we have fallen into the same trap of less than 100% truthfulness. It might be as small as making a promise and not keeping it. (that’s really not small), or not being totally truthful at tax time or in settling for mediocrity when excellence is the thing we said we would do. It brings up questions like, “what do I have in my possession that I borrowed and never returned?” or “what did I report on a form that may not be totally true?” It’s kind of like the old sins of commission vs. the sins of omission thing. We are guilty not only of the wrong things we have done, but also of the right things that we did not do. Wow! Maybe this study on integrity is going to be tougher than we thought. I think we need it.

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

An Old Hymn:
Written by J. Edwin Orr in 1936

Search me, O God,
And know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior,
Know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be
Some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin
And set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord,
For cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy Word,
And make me pure within.
Fill me with fire
Where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire
To magnify Thy Name.

Lord, take my life,
And make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart
With Thy great love divine.
Take all my will,
My passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord
In me abide.

O Holy Ghost,
Revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival,
Start the work in me.
Thy Word declares
Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now,
O Lord, I humbly plead.

Let's face it

“To get real results in a real world we must be in touch with what it is, not what we wish things were or think things should be or are led by others to believe they are. The only thing that is going to be real in the end is what is.”
-Dr. Henry Cloud

In his book “Integrity”, there is a chapter dealing with the importance of reality. Confronting truthful facts is a precursor to making good decision in life. High achievers face reality and deal with it. Your character will help you be in touch with reality. There is a need today to be proactive in seeking out reality. A need to see reality as a friend. I have figured out that I do not have it all figured out yet. Sometimes the fear of dealing with ramifications will tend to keep us from seeking out truth. “Ignorance is bliss”, so to speak. As in the subject of Law, we learn that ignorance is no excuse.

It is always a good day to face up to what is real.