WANTED: PEOPLE OF INTEGRITY

It was D. L. Moody who said, "Character is what you are in the dark."
When there is no one to impress, that's when true character, or
integrity, is revealed.
Humorist Will Rogers understood the meaning of integrity when he said,
"So live that you would not mind selling your pet parrot to the town
gossip."
How much influence can a person of integrity really have on others? If
we look at the example of Moses, we discover that a little character can
go a long way. As long as Moses was around, his influence was so
profound and significant that it kept people from doing the wrong thing.
After Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt and God miraculously
saved them from Pharaoh's armies at the Red Sea, He began to lead them
in a very clear and obvious way. During the day, He provided a cloud.
When the cloud moved, they moved. When the cloud stopped, they stopped.
At night, a pillar of fire led them in the same way. God provided for
their physical needs as well. Every morning, there would be fresh manna
waiting for them for breakfast. God faithfully provided it every day.
All they had to do was gather it up and enjoy it.
The Israelites were surrounded by miracles and God's supernatural
leading, yet in a relatively short period of time, they turned to
idolatry. Their problem came down to one thing: the shallowness and
superficiality of their faith. It was as though their relationship with
God depended on Moses' presence. They never seemed to develop a
relationship with God of their own. While this is a wonderful tribute to
the influence of a godly man, it is also a criticism of their lack of
personal faith. Their relationship with God depended upon Moses'
relationship with God, and that is never a spiritually healthy thing to
do.
It is true that God can and will use people in our lives, but here is
the problem: even the greatest men and women of God have the potential
to fall. If you look to people, you will be disappointed ultimately. We
must never let people take the place of God in our lives. We must look
to Him, because He will never let us down.
When Moses temporarily left the Israelites to go up to Mount Sinai and
receive God's commandments, everything fell apart. As soon as he was
gone, they began looking for something to take his place. Hence, the
plans for the golden calf began. This ultimately led to a pathetic scene
of sexual immorality and full-tilt idol worship.
We can't really blame Moses because, in his defense, it was his personal
godliness and integrity that had kept them in check up to this point.
That is pretty amazing when you consider that Moses was leading more
than two million people. It reminds us that God can do a lot with a
little.
Maybe you are the only committed Christian in your family. When you get
together for family reunions, you are the minority. Or perhaps you are
the only Christian at your workplace. Maybe you are the only Christian
in your classroom or neighborhood. It can be so awkward and
uncomfortable. Often, we want to get out of situations like these. But
did you ever stop to think that God put you where you are to be a godly
influence?
That is what Moses was. Imagine how hard it must have been for him.
These people were filled with unbelief and constantly whined and
complained. But through his personal integrity and godliness, he
influenced them for good. How we need more people like him who will make
a difference in the lives of those around them.
In Ezekiel 22:30, God said, " 'So I sought for a man among them who
would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land,
that I should not destroy it; but I found no one' " (NKJV). God is still
looking for men and women who will stand in the gap and serve as godly
influences in this world.
Are you seeking to be an influence on those around you right now? If
someone were to interview people who really knew you well, what would
they say about you? Would they say that you are a man or woman of God?
God help us to be men and women of integrity.