What is integrity? It’s the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Let’s think of it as standing up for what you know is right even if no one else is watching or agreeing with you…and that’s a hard thing to do!
Here’s a simple example: Mom said you can’t have another cookie, but she’s not in the room. Do you take it anyway, or obey her because you trust there’s a good reason she said no? We might think nobody can see whether we take it or not, but God and Jesus can. The Bible says even the angels pay attention to our actions! Listening to Mom and not taking the cookie shows integrity.
Living our lives with integrity is important because it’s an example of shining our light to others – the light we have from trying to copy the life of Jesus. When we do good things, it brings praise to God! In Matthew, (5:16, KJV), Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
It may not be easy, but doing what God wants is always more important than doing what others want. (see Hebrews 13:6) Proverbs says, (29:25, GNT) “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the LORD, you are safe.“
If we are following God’s righteous principles, we must stay true to what we believe and not change because of peer pressure. Others around us may make choices that we wouldn’t. They can make those choices for themselves, but WE need to stick by – and stand up for – what we know is right! If we aren’t sure what to do, we can always discuss it with our parents. When the people of Israel couldn’t choose between serving fake gods and the one true God, Joshua showed integrity by speaking up for God with determination and courage. He bravely said, “…choose this day whom you will serve, …But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15, English Standard Version)
Daniel is another example from the Bible who showed integrity. When the king of Persia passed a law that said nobody could worship anyone but him, Daniel continued to pray to the one true God. Even though he knew the punishment meant being thrown into a den of lions, he never thought twice about standing up for God – and God saved him from the lions! So, what is integrity? It’s the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. We want to stand up for what we know is right even if no one else is watching or agreeing with us. It can be a hard thing to do, but with God on our side, we can have the strength and courage to do what’s right!
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com
