Integrity

October 18, 2020

Randy Hageman

WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)? > HWLF (He Would Love First)!

We love because he first loved us. —1 John 4:19 (ESV)

Love is the defining mark of Jesus’ “disciples.”

Jesus: ‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ —John 13:35 (ESV)

Jesus: ‘Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.’ —Matthew 7:20 (NLT)

Our fruit only matters to God if our actions, our love, is

by the love of God in us.

Integrity – living the same way all the time, even when we’re

and no one’s

Reveal Answer

.

The lack of integrity is devastating not only to others but also to

.

Integrity is first and foremost an expression of my relationship with Jesus Christ, an

commitment that gets lived outwardly in my life.

Because of sin, there is a constant war working in us, pushing us toward

with our integrity.

Integrity is also the most

response – what Jesus would do – because it seeks to do what is right and honorable.

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. —Proverbs 14:12 (NLT)

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. —Robert Frost

A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. —Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NLT)

Joseph was sold to an Egyptian officer named Potiphar, but the Bible tells us the LORD was with Joseph and helped him be a good servant with

.

From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!… —Genesis 39:5-6ab (NLT)

Many times in life our integrity is challenged by situations beyond our control, and that’s when our choices are really

.

…Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. ‘Come and sleep with me,’ she demanded. —Genesis 39:6c-7 (NLT)

Integrity really

when it’s on the line.

It’s not so hard to have integrity when things are going our way, but it’s a whole different matter when there will be

for choosing integrity.

But Joseph refused. ‘Look,’ he told her, ‘my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.’ —Genesis 39:8-9 (NLT)

Joseph says compromising integrity is a sin against

.

She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, ‘Come on, sleep with me!’ Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house. —Genesis 39:10-12 (NLT)

Sometimes, even when we live with integrity, we’ll

.

She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. Then she told him her story. ‘That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,’ she said. ‘But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!’ —Genesis 39:16-18 (NLT)

The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity… —Proverbs 29:10 (NIV11)

Our integrity can become a

that reflects back to others their own choices.

Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. —Genesis 39:19-20 (NLT)

But the LORD was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the LORD made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. —Genesis 39:21-23 (NLT)

God used Joseph’s integrity to ultimately

those who did not act with integrity.

Integrity tells us that it’s not the end that justifies the

, but the

Reveal Answer

that justify the end.

For the Christ follower, integrity is faith in God, because it’s the belief that God’s ways & God’s plan are

& will work out.

Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. …I live with integrity. So redeem me and show me mercy. —Psalms 26:1-3,11 (NLT)

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. —2 Corinthians 1:12 (NLT)

Joseph shows us it’s never

to begin choosing a life of integrity with God’s help.

Next Week: Encouragement