Starting Well Demands Integrity

Apart from seeking God’s approval instead of men’s approval, the next important thing for one to start well is integrity. Integrity is so important that it cannot be overemphasized. One cannot buy it. It cannot be manipulated. One can put on a face to try to deceive, but as the adage goes “character is like pregnancy, you cannot hide it forever,” so will a person’s real personality show with time. If we do not want to be disgraced, shamed, and scorned, then we need to be men of integrity. That is, we must be faithful, honest, and trustworthy in all our dealings with people and our personal lives.

If there was a time that the church needed men of integrity, I believe it is now. A lot of churchmen including pastors, elders, and deacons alike do not have integrity. They’re much concerned about the fame and glory that their position brings. They do easily forget that they are in a position not for the position’s sake. They are there to serve and bring people to Christ. Instead of this, they use their power wrongly. Now, the church is scorned day-in-and-day-out. If spiritual leaders who are supposed to know better do these things, what should we expect from the laity? It is lamentable and alarming but if we do not mend our ways today, the worst is about to unfold in our time. A lot of corrupt people are now in the ministry. They have no shame. They do not fear God. They go around misbehaving. To this end, the pastorate is not appealing anymore, but in the biblical text, it is written, “If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do” (1 Timothy 3:1). When Paul said this, he added that the overseer must “be above reproach.” Simply put, if you’re an overseer, be a man of integrity.

Integrity must be a must-have virtue. That is, it must be coveted after. It is not only in the church that we need men of integrity. Families have been destroyed because integrity was lacking. Hearts have been broken. Businesses have collapsed. Some preachers, ministers, lawyers, lecturers, and politicians have been caught up in sexual scandals because they lacked integrity. They built with their gifts and destroyed it with their lives. Why is it difficult to recommend people to others these days? Is it not because men and women of integrity have diminished and waned speedily in our time? Surely, it is!. Due to this, people fear that their names would be shamed because they recommended the wrong person. If we cannot recommend people in the church, then this is appalling. Where is integrity? It is something we cannot do without.

If we want to start well, then we must be people of integrity. We should be incorruptible, faithful, honest, and God-fearing people. When a person lacks integrity, he does not shame himself only but also, his family, friends, household, and the community at large. Brothers and sisters, I do believe we all want to start well, let us run after integrity today. Soli Deo Gloria 

Michael Yaw Tano

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