In the summer of 1805, a group of Indian chiefs and warriors met in council at Buffalo Creek, New York to hear a presentation of the Christian message by a Mr. Cram from the Boston Missionary Society. After the sermon, a response was given by Red Jacket, one of the leading chiefs. Among other things, the chief said,

Brother, you say that there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the Book?

Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again of what you have said.

What if everyone waited to see what effect our religion had on us before they decided to accept it?

Like Chief Red Jacket, people are watching our every move to see what kind of difference our faith makes in our lives. Like Chief Red Jacket, they watch to see if our behavior matches our belief. If our walk matches our talk. If our character matches our confession. If what we claim to believe on Sunday is put into practice on Monday. In a word, they watch to see if we have integrity.

Integrity is a high standard of living based on a personal code of morality that doesn’t succumb to the whim of the moment or the dictates of the majority. Integrity is to personal character what health is to the body or 20/20 vision is to the eyes. A person of integrity is whole; his life is put together. People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. As Solomon wrote, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out” (Proverbs 10:9).

Integrity is not reputation—what others think of us. It is not success—what we have accomplished. Integrity embodies the sum total of our being and our actions. It originates with who we are as believers in Jesus Christ—accepted, valued, capable, and forgiven, but it expresses itself in the way we live and behave, no matter if we are in church on Sunday, at work on Monday, in a lonely hotel room on Tuesday, or suffering in a hospital bed on Thursday.

But how is integrity practiced on a daily basis? Where do people watch us most closely? There are several areas where integrity is put to the test while the watching world observes our reactions.

A student in my youth group went off to college. On his first break from school he came home and stopped by to see me. He told me how he had been invited to a fraternity party. “Rick, you wouldn’t believe what was there. Free alcoholic beverages, drugs, willing girls, and more. I was astounded.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“I ran out of there as fast as I could. Did I do the right thing?”

“Of course you did,” I said.

In tempting situations, we are to flee. Run. Get away. That means avoiding situations where you easily fall to temptation. It may mean having the hotel desk clerk disconnect the television before you enter your room. It may mean never traveling alone with someone of the opposite sex on business. It may mean avoiding the people who lead you into destructive behavior.

People often ask me, “Can one be a Christian and _____(fill in your favorite sin)?” My answer is yes, you can give in to temptation and not lose your salvation. But integrity demands that you don’t. It’s not a matter of salvation; it’s a matter of integrity. Integrity says, “My life backs up what I say. If I confess to be a Christian, then I will not drag the name of Christ through the gutter.”

Yielding to authority is a mark of a believer. Yielding, like coming to a Yield sign when driving a car, means letting the other guy have his way first. Submission is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of self-control. It is saying I don’t have to have my way all the time.

Integrity says I may not like the law, but I will obey it. Integrity says I may not like the person in the office, but I will honor the position. Integrity says I may not like the direction the nation is going, but I will pray for God’s intervention. Integrity says I will obey God first, even if it means I suffer for doing the right thing.

As believers in Christ, our integrity goes to work with us. It manifests itself in the way we treat our boss, our clients, and fellow employees. It also manifests itself in the way we respond to our company’s procedures and policies, to difficult and sometimes unjust assignments, and to the work place itself. It further manifests itself in our attitude and in the honesty we display at our place of work. Remember, people are watching.

Integrity demands that we stand for what are the right and the upright things to do at all times.

A salesman was on the brink of retirement and was involved in a potential sale that could possibly net him a $100,000 commission. Not a bad way to go out. The only problem was in order to make the deal work he would have to be somewhat deceptive when he presented the product to the customer. He decided to tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may. He told the customer the complete truth and it cost him the sale. But he did what was right.

Two friends owned a profitable business. They put it up for sale and gave their word, pending a few details, they would sell to a particular buyer. They made this commitment on a Friday. Over the weekend they received another offer that would have netted them an enormously higher profit. Unsure of what they should do, they spent the rest of the weekend praying with their wives. By Sunday night they all agreed that their word must be their bond. On Monday morning they called the second buyer and turned down his better offer. They did what was right.

The greatest test of integrity is how we respond to suffering. Nothing reveals one’s character quicker than problems and pain. That’s one of the reasons God allows it. Suffering reveals what we’re like. Christians are like tea bags. What they’re like inside isn’t clear until they’re in hot water.

As long as we live we will experience suffering. We will have problems. We will have pain. The question is: how do we deal with it? People are watching to see how we react to the misfortunes and sufferings of this world.

Helen Keller was right: “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” She also said that it was because of her blindness that she was able to see God.

Here are the facts: Our integrity is put to the test every day, in virtually every situation. We are being watched closely to see how we respond. The choice of our walk matching our talk, our behavior matching our beliefs, our character matching our confession is left to us. What will we do?

Doing what is right—living a life of integrity—matters. You never know who is watching. Would Chief Red Jacket and others like him be drawn to your religion? |L