A Life of Integrity Don’t Mess it Up
Jerry E. White, Honesty, Morality and Conscience.(Colorado Springs, CO:NavPress, January 1999)Jerry E. White. 52 Rules to Live By. (Colorado Springs, CO:NavPress, 2010)
Jerry E. White.The Joseph Road: Choices That Determine Your Destiny.(Colorado Springs, CO;NavPress. October 2009
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Mark 12:13,14 (NIV)
“ Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity.”
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Mark 12:14 (NIV)
“ . . . You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
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How did they define ….
INTEGRITY?
Not swayed by man’s opinion
Not partial
Teach truth – no compromise
6How did they define Integrity?
Setting the TrapMark 12:15-17 (NIV)
“ Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what
is God's." And they were amazed at him.”
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Integrity in·teg·ri·ty noun \in-te-grə-tē\
Honesty
Virtue
Honor
Morality
Principled
Upright
Righteous
Godliness
Wholeness
Sincerity
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General Omar Bradley
“We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.”
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Integrity Is An Issue of:
The heart…………………Motive
Our actions……………….Example
Other’s perceptions……..Credibility
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Steps to Moral Suicide
Make big, wrong choices easy
Prevent those choices that destroy our lives
Life is made up of many small ethical decisions. They either:
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Steps to Moral Suicide
I no longer feel badly when I violate ethical or moral principles
I rationalize that there are no absolutes that can tell me how to live
Moral and ethical suicide occurs when:
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The Goal
Acts 24:16
So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before
God and man.
The Focus of Integrity
With God
With your family
With your leaders
With your followers
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The Currency of Integrity
Your word
Your lifestyle
Your faithfulness and dependability
Your motives
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Core Issues of Integrity
The inner gauge...our conscience
The voice of integrity...our work
The spirit of integrity...how we treat people
The reputation of integrity...credibility, trust, perception
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Basic Goals for Ethical Decisions
To be a man or woman of integrity
To influence our children, and those for whom we are responsible, to live with integrity
To influence our peers and our leaders to live and act with integrity
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Types of Integrity
Personal—how I live my private life
Professional—how I live my public life
They must be CONNECTED!
Why People Act Honestly
Law
Fear
Inner Conviction
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Where Do Convictions Come From
Family background
Experience—peers, education
Spiritual/religious foundations
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