Ingegrity, what is it?

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.

~ Psalm 119:1, NLT

I believe the above verse is a great definition or maybe outcome is a better word for Integrity. "Joyful are people of integrity, (which people?, those) who follow the instructions of the Lord" (That's which people!!)

So Integrity is following the rules of the Lord? What are the rules of the Lord? The Ten Commandments. Wow, so here we are thousands of years removed from Moses receiving the 10 commandments from God, and I am saying they are still relevant? You bet your John Deere Tractor, they are. In my days in school, they , the ten commandments, were posted in every classroom in the country. They were in many, if not all courts of law. The ten commandments are what all of our laws are based on, Every single one of them.

So what is the Psalmist saying in this verse? What is this "Joyful" of which he speaks? I don't know the original Hebrew the bible was written in, I haven't gone back and analyzed the meaning of the words they translated into "Joyful". But, I DO know that when I am obeying God, doing what He tells me to do, following the 10 Commandments, I am joyful. You see, by following God's rules, you are in "sync" with the maker of the Universe. His Son, Jesus Christ will walk with you, talk with you and treat you like his on family, because you are. (What Song was that? "Walk with me and He will talk with me, and ......., I digress}. I believe whatever word they translated into "Joyful" here in this verse, is exactly right. Here is the formula: Integrity=Joy. Pretty easy isn't it? Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and the outcome, the product, the result, the sum, the finished product, the ANSWER is JOY>

So we should obey Gods rules just so we can have Joy? Sure, if that is the angle you want to go what is wrong with that? Selfish? Maybe a little at first, but you see, when we obey all the rules, and realize the Joy we receive, it makes us WANT to live for God and His son Jesus, because of the Love we feel along with the JOY.

Remember when you fell in love? You know you are pretty sure that this was the "ONE"? (No "Matrix" pun intended here). You felt different, life seemed better, you had a spring in your step, you knew who you would spend the rest of your life with. People around you noticed a difference. Well, God is in Love with us, He would do anything in His power for us. We should have this same feeling everyday of our lives, Because the God who made us, loves us so much, He sent His Son to die for us,(The ultimate sacrifice, to lay down your life for a friend). God, Jehovah, thanks of you and me as His Friend, His Sons and Daughters, His family.


Yes there are Rules. There are rules in every part of life. God made us with a sense of right and wrong, thus rules. "Gum chewing in MY CLASSROOM is not allowed!" that is a rule. "Speed Limit 65 MPH", another rule. Murder, assault, stealing, .....yes these are all rules, and we know it,no one has to tell us. What about "coveting your neighbors wife"? That is not against the law, but it is a commandment from God. Coveting, wishing you had her instead of your neighbor, "undressing" her with you eyes, thinking sexual thoughts toward her. You haven't done anything to her, you haven't broken any laws, so what is the harm? Because it is against God's rules. Think about what this type of thinking does to a Man The thoughts can grow, you concentrate on these thoughts and the outcome could be very bad, rape, attack, sexual advances. See, following God's rules in the first place, will take care of it, as Barney Fife said: "Nip it in the Bud" take care of it right away before it has a chance to grow.

What about "coveting your neighbors "stuff""? " Wow, look at that new car Tim has, that is NICE, I want one." So it this proud for Tim, or something deeper like jealously? I used to be so bad at this I would look at something someone else had, and figure out a way to get it. I did not care if it caused my family to have less, I did not care about anything else then acquiring what I wanted.
Is this illegal? Are there people in prisons across this country that are guilty of "Coveting their friends "stuff"? Yes there are. Not the coveting, but what they did to get that stuff. Theft, murder, any crime can be brought down in it's lowest form to one thing : Lust, the wanting of something you don't have and your obsession of getting it.

Enough about this, what about Integrity? Integrity by definition (that is Man's definition)
firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility

: an unimpaired condition : soundness

: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

My favorite word in this definition? " Incorruptibility" We hear almost daily of the "corrupt-ness" of our politicians, sports celebrities, just plain ole celebrities, ......So the word: "Incorruptibility" really hits home with me. It is easy to think that there is not a politician alive today that is incorruptible.

But, by definition, to have Integrity, means to be incorruptible.

Remember when God decided to flood the world? He was going to destroy everything, then decided to save Noah and his family. Why? Because Noah had integrity. He was the only person on the face of the earth, at that time who was not corrupt. How many people can we say that about today? Maybe about the same percentage?

Integrity will bring JOY, Life, abundance, love, but also threats, anger, finger pointing, acquisitions, lies...People see someone who has integrity, and they know something must be hidden. No one believes there is anyone without a past a skeleton in the closet somewhere.

Yes, we are all sinners, and we all have "skeletons somewhere" But, we have a God who has forgiven us those past mistakes. Integrity is not what you did yesterday, it is what you do today and tommorow. I know the world does not see it that way. If your running for political office, and you broke a window with a baseball in 1960, somehow they will find out and try and use it against you. But God won't, He loves you, and when you ask for forgiveness He grants it, and forgets it.

Integrity, the way we all need to live. I believe the highest honor someone can say about a person is: He/She is a person who has integrity. I don't see how anyone can be this way without knowing the Lord as their personal savior.
Be a person of integrity, let your light shine, show the world that you serve a God who cares about you and them. Be the "real deal" not just another "fake" Christsian.