What would you say is the most important characteristic that a person needs if they want to really make a difference in the world? Some people would say intelligence. After all, knowledge is power in lots of ways and circumstances. Other people might argue that it’s passion that makes the difference, drawing people into a project and inspiring them in a way that’s contagious. Another line of thought is that it’s insight – in other words, common sense that’s accompanied by the ability to see clearly into the depths of an issue. But the Bible says the most important quality in success is integrity: ‘People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.’ We’ll eventually become known by our integrity, or the lack of it. At some point in life, we’ll meet people who have extraordinary intelligence but no integrity, but they won’t be the ones who succeed in God’s eyes. Others with great intensity and passion but little integrity also won’t reach their full potential. The same result is true of people with great insight but no integrity. The thesaurus equates integrity with words such as ‘honesty, completeness, and incorruptibility’. Integrity begins in your private world; the part of you that’s known only to God and yourself. Then it shows up in your personal world; the part of you that you reveal to a small circle of close family members and possibly a few friends. After that comes your professional world. Here people know you by the quality of your work, your skill set, or your work ethic. And they all ask the same question: ‘Can I trust you?’ Finally, your integrity shows up in your public world. So the questions to ask yourself, and God, today are: ‘Do I have integrity?’and ‘How can I have more?’
