Proverbs 21:3

^'To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.' Proverbs 21:3

Before we get digging, and before I explain where I'm going with this, let's do a little background.  Except for a hand full of exceptions Proverbs was written by King Solomon, son of King David.  King Solomon is the one who asked God, not for money, not for fame, not for power, but for wisdom.  Now, let's dig in...

Remember that at the time when this was written people still had to make sacrifices to God to cover there sins.  That was insanely important, but here Solomon is saying that righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.  That doesn't mean that people can live righteous lives, die, and go to heaven without ever accepting Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  Integrity doesn't negate the need for Christ, it runs hand in hand with the vow you make the day you become a Christian.

Integrity.  That's a weighty word.  How does it tie into this scripture?  Let's take a look at the definition. 

Integrity: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

Last night my husband and I watched the movie Courageous for the first time.  It's an amazingly inspirational movie and if you haven't seen it please, please, please do yourself a favor and go rent/buy it.  This movie directly addresses the integrity, or lack there of, in men these days.  They gave some staggering statistics about the effects of fatherless homes on children.  I'm not going to tell you those statistics because I want you to go watch the movie but I will say, once again, I'm not a statistic I'm a success story!  I was raised in a fatherless home, the impact that had on me has forever changed my life in everyway possible.  One mans irresponsible decision has lasting effects, just like every irresponsible, or selfish, decision you make will have an effect on someone else. 

Before watching this movie integrity had been on my heart, for weeks now it's been on my heart.  The movie was just an instant reminder that I'm not alone.  So often, while walking on the straight and narrow, I begin to feel secluded from all the people taking the easy way out.  I didn't know 6 months ago when the Lord began to call me up higher that it was going to be such a lonely walk.  My husband compared it to driving in the HOV lane; it's a very, VERY, narrow path to drive on.  While driving on it you can still see the people driving on the multilane highway next to you.  They've got all these easy exits they can take, all these distractions that can pull them off their path.  They can also drive right next to one another, in a big group if they want, and sometimes they all get stuck behind the same wreck together.  On the HOV lane you can't drive next to anyone, there is someone in front of you, and there is someone behind you.  I see it like Jesus, who went before us to prepare us a way, driving in front of me, and the Holy Spirit, the great helper, driving behind me and encouraging me to keep going.  There are other Christians on this road, but our walk with Christ is a personal, individual walk. 

Why has integrity been on my mind so much lately?  Well if you know me well you know I believe America is headed toward, or already in, another Depression.  This is a pretty serious matter and Justin and I have been preparing for inflation as best we can.  I blame this coming trial in America on the lack of integrity of the American people.  People stopped taking responsibility for there actions, because of that we stopped holding those in office responsible for there's.  How can we blame the government for being in debt when we have mortgages, leases on cars, and more credit cards in our wallets than we can keep up with?  We can vote someone new in, we can vote a lot of new people in, but the answer isn't going to be found in congress or the white house, it's going to be found in us.  We are the answer.  It starts with you; yes YOU, living an upright and blameless life right now.  That means having integrity.

^'The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the willful contrariness and crookedness of the treacherous shall destroy them.' Proverbs 11:3

Let me explain something about integrity, it's not popular.  When you begin to live with integrity you're going to offend those around you that don't.  Why?  Because you're raising the bar, you're unintentionally calling them out; you are in effect convicting them.  The majority of American's don't even know what integrity looks like.  It's not easy, but it is important.

When I was growing up, all the way up to about 15-years-old I knew absolutely no one with integrity.  Every adult in my life lied, bent the truth, went back on there word, or cheated when it was easier or more convenient.  But when I was 15 I met a woman with integrity, I didn't know it was integrity then I didn't know what it was, all I knew was that I wanted what she had.  Although my mom had accused this woman’s church of being a witchcraft practicing occult, and while all the other members and friends I had from this church had made fun of me at the least and completely ostracized me at the most, this woman didn't.  I showed up for a New Years Eve event with that church, it took me a long time to convince my mom to let me go, but she did.  When I got there this woman walked out of the building she was in, hugged me, hugged my mom, told us she was glad we had come and how much she had missed me.  It would have been easy, and acceptable to the other members, for this woman to ignore me, but she didn't.  I'm certain she faced a certain amount of scrutiny from the other members for showing me so much kindness, but it was the right thing to do and, like my fathers act of irresponsibility, her act of integrity changed my life.  I didn't want to be like the other women in my life; I wanted to be like her. 

Now I know that what she had was integrity, and that I can have what she had, I can take the grocery baskets to the place they belong, I can go the speed limit and not cut people off, I can stand up for what is right, I can keep my word when it's not convenient, I can tell the truth even if it gets me in trouble, and I can show kindness to those that others deem unworthy.  There is a coming darkness, it's going to hang a shadow over the American people, and some will use that shadow as an excuse to take the easiest route.  However, in the darkest the light shines bright, and I believe that all over America Christians will stand up, will grab a hold of the integrity movement, and God will be glorified through His people once more.  It starts with you, don't accept mediocrity any longer, instead expect the Christians around you to come up higher, to show integrity.  Stand together; stand in the light, stand up for what is right. 
 

I'm going to start a page, and within this page I hope to light a fire, I hope to begin a movement that changes the lives of Americans everywhere.  I'm calling this page The Integrity Movement, and it is self explanatory.  If you know someone who has shown great integrity then I want to hear about it.  If you know someone in need of anything, in need of some Christians willing and eager to show integrity then I want to hear about it.  I'm sure, like everything, it'll start out small, but I know that God can use us to make a difference!