MESSAGES
As we look at society today, we catch ourselves asking, who can we trust? Who can we look up to? Who can we be like? Whose footsteps would we like to follow? Paul admonishes us in Titus 2:7-8 to be people of integrity, "In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in teaching showing integrity..." Today, it's very difficult to find good role models for our children; men and woman of integrity.
Integrity has been defined as, "incorruptibility, completeness, and moral uprightness." A person with integrity isn't doubled-minded. A person with integrity is whole, his life is put together, and things are working together harmoniously. He has nothing to hide and nothing to fear. His life is an open book before both man and God. However, there just doesn't seem to be too many people, now-a-days, who have true integrity, a true reverence for God, and who live an incorruptible life.
Statistics tell us that in the last 30 years violent crime has increased 560%; the divorce rate has quadrupled; 1 in 5 high school students carries a gun; illegitimate birth has increase 400%; and teenage suicide has increased 200%. There is a very real crisis today! Why the crisis? Very simply, because people have forgotten God.
I'm reminded of the New York police officer who saw a man standing on a bridge, apparently contemplating suicide. The officer went up to him and said, "Let me make a deal with you. Give me 10 minutes to tell you why I think life is worth living, then you take 10 minutes and tell me why life isn't worth living. If I am unable to convince you, I'll let you jump." Twenty minutes later they joined hands and jumped into the water together.
Though this story is fiction, we all have felt like that officer at times: I just want to jump off the world! When we see the amount of crime and violence taking place in society, why shouldn't we just throw up our hands and say, "Forget it! It just isn't worth it. I'm jumping .......!" You people see a side of life that 95% of the rest of the world don't see. You see the out of control gang violence; the daily drive-by shootings; carjackings; the drunk driver destroying innocent lives; the druggie who steals and murders in order to supply his habit. How about the police officer whose patting down a suspect and gets stuck with a dirty needle from the guys pocket; only to find out the guy has aids. It seems as if the court sets the criminal back out on the streets before you even complete your report. It's extremely frustrating!
I know these things effect you. They affected me. I know what it's like, as a Christian, to want to lash out in my flesh. I know what it's like to just want to run from it all. As firefighters and police officers, we can't flee from these things, but we can face them. We must face them, as difficult as it might seem. Our job can make us a bitter Christian or a better Christian. It all depends on how we choose to deal with issues as they arise. There is a way to handle all this and still maintain a strong Christian character. It is possible to maintain our integrity.
David was a man of great integrity. King Saul wanted David dead, and he did all he could to kill him, but to no avail. Though the throne belonged to David, David let God be the one to put him on it. He didn't take matters into his own hands, even though he had many opportunities to do so.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego refused to bow down to the image of King Nebuchadnezzar, and were thrown into the fiery furnace, and yet they survived.
Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife when told to "come and lay with her", even though he ended up spending a couple of years in prison for a crime he never committed.
Job lost everything, but never once blamed God.
Daniel faced the penalty of death because he would not stop praying when he was told, and he ends up spending the night with the lions. He probably had a better night sleep than king Nebuchadnezzar. How could Daniel be strong in doing this? The answer to that question is found in Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself ..."
These were men of great integrity because they followed and served a great God. They didn't start out that way; they weren't flawless; they had their shortcomings, and yet God developed them into men of integrity. These people didn't have integrity because they were great. They were great because they had integrity. We need to follow their examples.
What about us? Are we one who laughs at dirty jokes? Do we stand up for what is right, regardless of peer pressure? Do we say things about people that we would never say to their face? Do we badmouth our spouse to our co-workers? The answers to these types of questions should help us determine as to whether we are a person of integrity.
God is not concerned with what's on the outside of a person, but with what's on the inside of a person. God saw in these men, and others, not what they were, but what they could become. In Gideon, a man who was hiding from the Midianites, He saw a "mighty man of valor." In David the shepherd boy, He saw David the king. In Simon He saw Peter, a rock. In Saul, the worse persecutor of the church, He saw the great Apostle Paul. Just as God saw what these people could and would become, He sees what you and I can and will become as we follow after the Lord. It's been said, "God is not looking for men and women with ability, but for men and women with availability." I pray you are making yourself available to Him.
Each day you men and women get up, put on your uniform, pin on your shield, and go out into a world that needs you. People look at you, all decked out with your badge bright and shiny, and they say: There's a person of true character and integrity. I hope they say that, or at least I hope they think it. However, as sharp as you might look in uniform, your uniform and badge do not make you a person of integrity anymore than going to MacDonald's makes you a Big Mac. Your uniform and your badge don't give you integrity, they only give you authority. You don't all of a sudden become a person of integrity when you slip into the uniform. The uniform simply gives you another area of your life to reveal your integrity. True integrity comes not from what we are on the outside, but what we are on the inside.
The Bible says, "He who walks with integrity walks securely" [Prov 10:9]. True integrity is found only in God, as you allow Him to change you. He wants to make you into men or women of integrity in a world of impurity.
A man who was seen chiseling a rock into a beautiful horse was asked, "How do you make a sculpture of a horse?" The artist responded, "I simply chisel away everything that doesn't look like a horse." God wants to do that with you and I. He wants to chisel away everything in our lives that doesn't look like Jesus Christ. If you feel like you're being hammered, filed and chiseled on by God, Praise the Lord! He's making you into a beautiful work of art.
If you want to be a person of integrity, then allow God to develop you. Stop trying to do it on your own. Stop following the footsteps of your fellow police officer, or your fellow firefighter. Start following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. God didn't put you where you are in order to impress your fellowman. He put you where you are in order to be an example to your fellowman. That can only happen as you continue to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, and allow Him to make you men and women of integrity. I encourage you to give your life over to Jesus Christ and allow Him to chisel and mold you into that man or woman of integrity.
God bless you,
Pastor Steve |
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| SHIELD OF FAITH |
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Attention Juanita
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