Do You Act the Same in Public and In Private?
By Rick Warren
“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8 (NLT)
Are you working to build your life on values that last? If you are, you need to learn to live with integrity.
The Bible says in Matthew 5:8, “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God” (NLT).
To “see God” means to experience the presence of God. Believers who have pure hearts get to feel the power of God. They experience the pardon of God. They get to know the purpose of God for their lives. They get to live in the peace of God.
Do you want to be one of those people? We don’t talk a lot these days about being pure in heart, but instead we use a word with a similar meaning—“integrity.”
To have integrity does not mean you are perfect because if it did, none of us would have it! So what does it mean to have integrity?
Integrity is wholeness.
A lot of people think of their lives like a pie, and the different parts of their lives are the pieces of the pie. Someone might describe their life like this:
“This slice of the pie is my career. This is my work life. This is my spiritual life. Then this is my family life. That one is my social life. Then over here is my secret life—my compulsions, addictions, and the things nobody else knows about.”
When you segment your life like that, you lack integrity because your life is not a whole. Integrity means you’re the same person everywhere and with everybody—in your speech, actions, and motives—no matter which part of life you’re walking through.
Integrity is uncorrupted motivation.
When you have integrity, you do the right thing, and you do it for the right reason. You have unmixed, pure motives. You’re sincere and straightforward in every area of your life and with all people. You pray so you can talk with God, not so you can impress other people.
The Bible says, “The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity” (Proverbs 11:20 NLT).
We’re interested in image, but God is interested in integrity. We’re interested in reputation, but God is interested in character. Reputation has to do with what everybody thinks you are; integrity is what you really are. Your reputation is connected to who you appear to be in public; integrity is connected to who you are when you’re all alone with God.
Have you been more concerned about your image and reputation than your character and integrity? Commit to being a person of integrity today.
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