A Rare Virtue

A few years ago our son had a business partner with an interesting background.

After graduating from the Navel Academy, he served a stint in the Navy. He then worked in a variety in business experiences including being an advisor to the governor of California.

During one of the conversations that I had with him he told me that of all of the people that he had ever know in his life he had only know 5 “Men of Integrity.” When you think of all of the IMPORTANT PEOPLE that he had crossed paths with during his lifetime that is a very sad declaration.

As I was relaying that conversation to my daughter-in-law, her reaction was, “How sad that he had never met many Christians.”

My immediate reaction was, “What is even sadder is that he had probably met many Christians and he could still make that statement.”

The word INTEGRITY is a word that is used only rarely these days.

Integrity is a word that comes from the verb meaning to integrate, which means to incorporate something into a larger unit so as to make the larger unit complete.

The definition of a person of integrity can be defined so a third grader can understand it is a person with an undivided heart.

Most people are quick to tell you that their hearts are compartmentalized even though they don’t know it. One part of their hearts is reserved for their faith, if they have any. They will be very quick to inform you that, “Their faith is a very private thing.” When you hear that statement you will know that their faith, what little there is of it, does not have any effect or influence on other aspects of their lives or other compartments of their hearts.

Let’s look at some other compartments in their hearts. One compartment is reserved for work or career. One compartment contains their marriage. Another compartment harbors their political bent or conviction. Another compartment is reserved for their leisure activities, and the list of sub-compartments goes on and on.

The key to understanding most people is that the convictions or passions of one compartment of their hearts have little or no influence over the convictions of the others.

How else could a person carry on a sexual relationship with someone who is not their spouse? Or for that matter, how could a person attend church on Sunday, listens to God’s Word and laws proclaimed, and then on Monday go to an abortion clinic to have an abortion and then on Tuesday go to the voting booth and vote for a candidate who not only advocates abortions but passes laws legalizing such murder. How else could a person use perfect English on Sunday and then for the rest of the week use profanity that would embarrass an Army drill Sergeant?

I think that you are getting the picture now. The Bible calls this kind of person a double minded person.

James 1:8 tells us that, “a double minded person is unstable in all of his ways.”

In Psalms 119:163 God says that He, “Hates and abhors lying.”

Have you noticed that lying has become very fashionable these days? People are becoming very competent at it; politicians are some of the most accomplished liars. When one practices something long enough, they become very good at it. Lying always covers up an inconvenience.

People of integrity have no compartments in their hearts. Every aspect of their lives is integrated into one complete heart and are influenced by all the others. God has placed a conscience in every man’s heart for this very reason.

Jesus was confronted by some of the church leaders who asked Him which of the commandments was the most important. His answer was, “You are to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, and with ALL your soul, and ALL your mind.” Mark 12:30

In the book of Revelation, Chapter 21, God tells us who will NOT be partakers with God in eternity. These are people who are not people of integrity. Among the list are “All Liars.”

We need to repent of our double-mindedness, purify our hearts of all its compartments, and turn our lives completely over to our creator who is the Lord Jesus.

IS LIFE WORTH THE GAMBLE?

A cemetery in Indiana has a hundred year old tombstone with the following epitaph:

Pause, stranger, when you pass me by.
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so you will be.
So prepare for death and follow me.

Someone scratched these additional words of wisdom on the bottom of the tombstone:

To follow you I’m not content,
Until I know which way you went.

Wise counsel can sometimes even be found in a cemetery.

I have told a story that delineates the wisdom of the epitaph many times and since I never tire of hearing it, I will tell it again.

A Frenchman by the name of Blaise Pascal lived during the middle 1600’s. He was a brilliant mathematician who is credited with the invention of the mechanical calculator.

Pascal became a devout Christian in his late teen years and since he was an intellectual, his colleagues were mathematicians and scientists.

One of the discussions that that he had with an atheist friend has become a classic. The discussion goes something like this:

Pascal asked his atheist friend what he believed would happen to him upon his death. His friend responded, “I will cease to exist.” He then asked his friend, “What do you happen will happen to me upon my death?” The atheist responded, “You too will cease to exist.”

The atheist friend asked Pascal what he believed would happen to him upon his death, and Pascal responded, “Since I am a Christian, I will spend eternity with Jesus and the other believers in what we call Heaven on the New Earth.”

The atheist then asked Pascal the final question, “What do you believe will happen to me upon my death? “Since you are not a Christian and your life shows no evidence in that regard, you will spend eternity suffering in Hell with all of the other non-believers.”

Then Mr. Pascal summarizes with this very wise statement. “If you are right in your beliefs, upon our deaths, you and I will both cease to exist, but, if I am right then you will spend eternity suffering in Hell, and I will spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. As I see it, you my friend, you cannot win and I cannot loose.”

As I have traveled across this planet I have noticed that most people live their lives gambling that the Bible is not true and since they do not believe it, they feel no compunction to honor its dictates. As a matter of fact, opinion polls show us that most of what we call “church people” do not believe that the Bible should be taken literally and their lives demonstrate their belief.

I believe that Mr. Pascal would say to these people, “You cannot win.”

SIN has such a strong allurement that most people are willing to gamble their eternal destinies in hopes that the Bible is NOT true or relevant.

I have asked myself this question many times, “How long has it been since I have heard a warning of the consequences of remaining in my sinful lifestyle?” I am sorry to say, “Much too long.”

The fruit on the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden was beautiful and looked deliciously tempting, but that is not the reason she took the bite. She ate of the apple because it was forbidden. The fruit on that tree probably were not any more beautiful or tastier than any of the others but she knew that it was wrong and she was not going to be told not to taste it. But look what one bite of it did for it”s tasters. It got them evicted from Paradise and ultimately it destroyed them.

God’s ways and His laws are very relevant for us today and the consequences for not believing them and following them are just as deadly as they were for Mr. Pascal’s friend.

While we yet live, there is hope for our eternal destinies, and that hope is found in none other than our creator, and His name is Jesus.

The word repent means to turn around and go the opposite way, but it means more than just turning our lives around, it demands changing loyalties.

Whereas before we lived only for ourselves and for the moment, after repenting, we put Jesus in the forefront of our lives and follow Him and His direction which can only be found in the Bible.