Integrity -- Let's Read About It -- Then Live It Out!

Some online dictionary sites report at the end of every year as to what words were looked up the most on their site. Because of worldwide catastrophic events in 2005, some of the most popular words were refugee, pandemic, tsunami, and levee. We can readily understand why those words were checked.

The most popular lookup for the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary that year was the word “integrity.” The definition given is: “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values” (also see this definition). It’s used to describe those who are unwilling to be bribed or morally corrupted. Let’s ask ourselves why that word was on the top of the list? Could it possibly be because integrity is so lacking in today’s society that many don’t know what that character trait looks like in someone’s life?

In His Word, God gives us an example of integrity in the life of Joseph. As we recall, Potiphar had put him in charge of overseeing “his house and all that he had” (Genesis 39:5). When he was propositioned by his master’s wife, Joseph refused, saying, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

Joseph knew what God’s standards were, and he chose to maintain his integrity standing for the right — at the cost of his freedom (Genesis 39:20).

Integrity — let’s read about it in Genesis 39 — Then live it out in our daily living (see YouTube video).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets