Integrity
A wealthy man had a friend who was a good contractor but had been down on his luck. Wanting to do him a favor, the rich man hired his friend with the following stipulations: “Here is $200,000.00. Build me a new home. If you do a good job, I will pay you very well.”
Excited, the contractor went to work. A $200,000.00 fund was a bountiful resource. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted a part of the money for himself. He began to cut corners – cheap lumber, shoddy plumbing, watered-down cement, and so on. He tried to hide the poorly constructed house with a great paint job. On the outside, everything looked good. He was ready to present the house. When he was all finished, he saved $40,000.00. After putting the extra money in his pocket, he went to drop off the keys to the new homeowner.
When the wealthy man greeted him, a smile of great charity came across his face. He said to the contractor, “Thank you so much for all of your time and efforts. You have done a wonderful job! Now it’s my turn to do something for you. I really don’t need a new house, the one I have is fine. My payment is to give you the house. After all, you built it.”
Proverbs 11:3 says – “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” Integrity is defined as “honesty, sincerity, completeness, unimpaired condition.” Acting with integrity implies being truthful, thorough, and displaying righteousness which comes from the heart.
Concerning his ministering and teaching Paul wrote by the Spirit to Titus saying, “In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you” (Titus 2:7).
Notice that integrity is expected “in all things.” People who will cheat for a dime will also cheat for more. Therefore, Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is also unjust in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:10-11).
Consider the contractor. He was willing to sacrifice integrity for $40,000.00. It was going to cost much more to fix the house than the money he was able to save. If he would have only built it properly, he could have moved right in. The consequences were simple. He built a house not fit for living in. He built a house that needed to be condemned.
Each and every day you and I are building an eternal home. One day the Lord will come with keys in hand, saying, “Enter into your eternal abode. My payment is to give you this house. After all, you built it!” Makes a person think about how they’re building…
As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever” – Psalm 41:12
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AUTHOR: Jeremiah Tatum
