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Integrity is the word lets focus on that word for a moment. The dictionary defines integrity as “a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, or incorruptibility; incapable of being bribed or morally corrupted.”

In the Bible, the Hebrew word translated “integrity” in the Old Testament means “the condition of being without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, soundness, uprightness, wholeness.” Integrity in the New Testament means “honesty and adherence to a pattern of good works.”

Those with Integrity do not compromise

To compromise is to make concessions or accommodations for someone who does not agree with a prevalent set of standards or rules. The Bible makes it clear that God does not condone compromising His standards: “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths. You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully” (Psalm 119:1-4, NLT). The word joyful or blessed describes people of righteousness, those who are totally subservient to God’s will and wholeheartedly devoted in their relationship to Him.

This brings me to my Sunday scripture.

“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.”

Psalm 119:1 NLT

My media and journalist friends tell me that ‘Perception is reality’. This means that truth is often distorted and compromised by the lens through which I choose to look at it.

The modern media is an excellent example as to how people and events can be made to seem good or bad dependent upon the lens through which they are reported. It is exceptionally difficult to change our perception once a lens has been chosen.

The world lacks Integrity

My initial understanding of what following Jesus involved was that I somehow expressed my faith through my words and actions. These were visible and I assumed they counted in my favour, as I demonstrated my improving godliness. Sadly the only real gallery I was playing to was the one located within my own head. I was satisfying my own perception of what pleasing God looked like. No surprise that I reacted so pugnaciously when I felt my godliness was betrayed through the events allowed into my life: the most compelling of which was the death of my mother I wasn’t joyful, yet joy is what the psalmist promises to those who walk in integrity in following God’s teaching.

What was immediately apparent was that my life made no sense as I peered through the lens of my own making, a self-serving potpourri of biblical understanding. I was reacting less to God than to the God I had designed to accompany me through life. My sincerity wasn’t in question; I was simply sincerely wrong. I had been living the Christian way for 17 years in pursuit of a God who served me, always under the misapprehension that I was serving God. The exposure was as painful as it was shocking, and perhaps one reason I lost sight of who I was, where God was and what the direction of travel was. I thank God for Good News and Prophet Uebert Angel, through him my minds eyes where opened my understanding and appreciation of who God really is was opened.

An example of a man of integrity

If Jesus were to identify one thing He appreciates about you, what would it be? Nathanael, whom some scholars say was also known as Bartholomew, heard the following words from Jesus, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity” (John 1:47).

What is a “genuine son of Israel”? Romans 2:29 states, “A true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. . . . It is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.” This type of person possesses “complete integrity”—consistent in both public and private life. In short, Jesus gave Nathanael a stunning compliment. It’s little wonder then that Nathanael—who had never met the Lord—was filled with amazement. He asked, “How do you know about me?” (John 1:48).

Something in Jesus’ answer convinced Nathanael that He was the Son of God. For He couldn’t have known where Nathanael had been unless He was omniscient (all-knowing).

Jesus knew that Nathanael had been under a fig tree. Some scholars think that he had been studying the Scriptures there.

But, aside from today’s Bible passage, little is known about this “genuine son of Israel.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention him only once—when they list all 12 apostles. But early church records suggest that after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Nathanael ministered in Persia and India and took the gospel as far as Armenia.

As an example for all believers in Jesus, Nathanael apparently lived out his faith with passion and confidence. He simply followed Jesus with “complete integrity” as he sought to bring more sons and daughters of God into the kingdom. Could the same be said of us?

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