Whole Integrity
Have you ever noticed that most everyone has a unique gait? Some are swift of foot, others plod along. Some kind of bounce as they move along, while others move with more fluidity, and there are those few who walk with an unmistakable swagger. I once met a person who walked on their toes. Their heels almost never touched the ground. Bubba Garner walks stealthily, like a Comanche, making almost no sound at all.
Psalm 15 introduces us to a man “who walks with integrity.” That does not mean he carries integrity in his knapsack or Integrity walks alongside him as a companion. The phrase speaks to his gait, describes his movement, but not in a physical sense. This extends beyond the physical realm. The Lord doesn't care about the balls of his feet or the swiftness of his pace, but about the quality of his spiritual movement. He cares about our spiritual movement. He wants to find that we walk with integrity.
What does that mean? Integrity comes from the Latin word “integer,” a term we use in mathematics in speaking of a whole or complete number. That's what integrity describes; something whole, complete or pure. The Lord calls for a walk that is whole. That implies a uniform quality about the walk of integrity. It will not tolerate any deviation. A spiritual walk is composed of hundreds if not thousands of choices every single day. If I walk with integrity all of my choices will line up. They will harmonize and build upon one another, choice after choice, building into a beautiful symphonic whole. One need not wonder why some call the Christian life, “The Well Orchestrated Life.” The man who walks in integrity lays his head down at night, and as he ponders the path he walked that day he sees consistency.
“He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up reproach against his friend” (Psalm 15:3).
He is consistent. Neighbor and foe experience equal treatment. Could you say the same of your walk?
“In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord” (Psalm 15:4).
He is consistent. He aspires to be like those who fear God and remembers to deviate from the reprobate path no matter how enticing it may look. Could you say the same?
“He swears to his own hurt and does not change...” (Psalm 15:4).
Should his promise lead to hardship he will not break it. He is consistent.
“He does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent” (Psalm 15:5).
Do you see the consistency? All of it holds together, every piece of life matches up. This man's path is whole. We often say that to have integrity is to be the same person when people are looking and when people aren't looking. How correct that is! Appreciate that the man who walks with integrity never changes. Pure integrity means every choice is consistent. We have no discordant choice. We find no dissonant action. All of it holds together.
Sadly, I find my life does not always produce such a symphony. Regarding some sins I am incredibly strong, yet regarding others I am pitifully weak. Have you found that to be true of yourself? If we aren't careful we may begin to believe that our strengths make up for our weaknesses, that our wonderful choices in some way negate our failures. With that thinking, our inconsistencies become beloved pet sins. They become tolerable and familiar to us. Though we can't look through our day and find a symphony of consistency we still lay our heads down at night and feel “okay.” This lifestyle is the opposite of integrity. The Lord calls out for a walk of integrity, because He loves the life that is consistently devoted to Him. Often we call for harmony with the brethren, still more we call for harmony with the scriptures, but this morning let's heed the Lord's call for harmony within ourselves.
Are you walking with integrity? The Psalmist begins with a question, “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?” Inspired by the Holy Spirit the psalmist also gives the answer, “He who walks with integrity...” (Psalm 15:1-2).
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