The Need For Pastoral Integrity by Billy Graham

Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.

We speak of integrity as a moral value. It means a person is the same on the inside as he claims to be on the outside. There's no discrepancy between what he says and what he does; between his walk and his talk. Integrity has to do with soundness, completeness, unity and consistency. It means everything about a person is moving in the same direction. Trying to live without integrity is like trying to drive a car without a steering wheel. Integrity permeates the fabric of a person, rather than just decorating the surface.

A man of integrity can be trusted. He's the same person alone in a hotel room a thousand miles from home as he is at work or in his community or with his family. A man of integrity doesn't have one set of values for his children and another for himself. A man of integrity can survive difficult circumstances and unjust criticism without giving in to the pressure of the moment. Integrity is not dependent on immediate reward or convenience.

Solomon wrote a long time ago that the man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. We cannot hide. We think we're hiding from the Lord, but we're not. In a world of greed, where materialistic values often take first place, where pleasure has become a god, there is a great need for men of integrity.

It's easy to point a finger at prominent people who've failed in integrity. We can easily see their sins and the tragic results. But a careful look reveals that the same poison of self gratification and greed exists in most of our hearts as well. It all comes back to you and me, and the need for personal integrity.

I believe integrity can be restored to a society one person at a time. The choice belongs to each of us. Even in the world of mass media, we should never underestimate the power of one person. You can make a difference.

Steps to integrity:

1. The principle of improvement: Are there activities in your life that are more of a hindrance than a help? Is what you're about to do constructive or destructive? Is it useful to your spiritual growth or useless? Is there something in your life that's controlling you instead of you controlling it? Whatever dominates your life becomes your god, even if it's good. God says the only thing that should dominate your life is God. He should be in control.

2. The principle of integrity: Do you find yourself rationalizing in your head when your heart is saying no. People who argue with their hearts and their conscious say, "I have my rights. Nobody's going to tell me what to do." The Bible says if our heart condemns us, God doesn't need to judge it. If you can't do it in faith, forget it. If you doubt it, don't do it.

3. The principle of influence: The immature person always demands his freedom. The mature person can willingly, voluntarily, give it up in certain situations out of deference for others so as to not offend in a way that hurts or causes them to stumble.

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