By Deanna Patterson

There is not near enough integrity in the world today. Too many people have little or no integrity, or simply stated, character. We live in a society where people take little thought about their responsibility to keep their word, to tell the truth, to be fair and trustworthy.

Integrity, as defined by Webster's New World Dictionary, is "the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity." But that definition in and of itself is a bit flat. The meaning is much more dynamic than those general words. The word integrity comes from the same Latin root as integer and implies a wholeness of person. Some synonyms for integrity are credibility, character, fidelity, honesty, reliability, and morality.

A person of integrity is one who abides by sound moral ethics; and by that I mean, a person whose behavior is centered on a basic understanding of what is right. Integrity refers to the quality of a person's character. A person of integrity lives rightly, not being divided, nor being a different person in different circumstances. A person of integrity is the same person in private that he or she is in public.

And the standard for rightness, those sound moral ethics are found in the Bible. The Bible is full of references to integrity. In 1 Kings 9:4, God instructs Solomon to walk with "integrity of heart and uprightness" as his father did.

Proverbs 10:9 says that, "He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out." A person of integrity has no fear that he or she will be exposed or found out. Integrity provides a safe path through life.

Proverbs 11:3 says, "The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the falseness of the treacherous will destroy them." The wise man or woman will live a life of integrity, which is a part of wisdom. Those who follow corruption or falsehood will be destroyed by the decisions and actions of their lives.

Proverbs 20:7 says, "A righteous man who walks in his integrity; How blessed are his sons after him." Integrity leaves a legacy. A righteous man or woman walks in integrity and provides a path for his or her children to follow.

All of these verses imply a sense of discernment of God's will in one's life. A person of integrity needs to be a student of the Word, diligently seeking to live out the truth of His Word. When the book of Proverbs talks of the "integrity of the upright" it implies that we adhere to God's will and God's laws. We have a duty to obey God's absolute commands in our lives and become men and women of integrity.

Integrity is made up of moral traits. One very important trait is honesty - telling the truth. Sometimes it is much easier to lie than to tell the truth because we don't want to face criticism or rejection or to hide sin, but we must understand that liars will have no part in heaven according to Revelation 21:8. We must embrace honesty if we are going to be a people of integrity.

Another characteristic of integrity is trustworthiness. A person of integrity stands by principles no matter what the consequences. He or she realizes there are moral absolutes even in a world of relative values. If a person has no absolutes, he or she will find ways to justify breaking almost any commitment - especially when keeping the commitment becomes difficult, costly or even just inconvenient. The person of integrity keeps his word even when it costs them greatly to do so.

There is a popular book on the market entitled, Who You Are When Nobody's Looking. Who are you when nobody's looking? Are you the same in private as you are in public? Do you do the right thing no matter what the circumstances? A person of integrity should be "above reproach" in their public testimony as well as in the privacy of their own homes.

As an individual, to have high integrity you must do what is right. Having high integrity also means that you must not easily be influence by others. And a person of integrity does not take the easy way if it is the low moral way.

Jesus calls us to be people of integrity. In Matthew 5:37 Jesus says, "Simply let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no,' be 'no.'" Jesus is telling us that we should be able to make one-word, verbal commitments to each other, and once those commitments are made, the word would be binding. The deal would be done. A person with integrity is consistent in what he says and what he does. His word is his bond. Having integrity means in your life there is no gap between the way things are and the way things ought to be.

It's impossible to have healthy relationships unless we know we can count on one another to keep their word - no matter what. That's why Jesus says, "In my kingdom, my people will be as good as their word. Their "yes" will mean "yes" and their "no" will mean "no". When they make a commitment they'll keep it."

Every time we make a commitment and keep it, every time we keep our word, we are reflecting the fact that we are imitators of that commitment-keeping God! And when people see His commitment-keeping character taking root in us, it will draw people to Him.

Are you a person of integrity? Are you honest, reliable and trustworthy? Is your word truthful? Do you do what you say you will? Psalm 84:11 says, "No good thing will God withhold from those who walk with integrity."