Integrity

      Integrity is that honest adherence to moral and ethical principles even when it does not personally benefit you—even when it seems to work against you. For the child of God, it is a solid commitment to the will of God and a relentless devotion to our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
      Joseph certainly comes to mind as a person of God who would not compromise what was right to save his own skin. Genesis 37 tell us that Joseph was 17 years old when he had his dreams of reigning over his brothers. In anger they stripped him of his coat of many colors and cast him into a pit. Before his brothers had a chance to sell him, a group of Midianite merchantmen lifted Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver. From there, they went down to Egypt where Potipher bought him from the Ishmaelites. The Lord was with Joseph and made him to prosper. Potipher realized this and made Joseph overseer of his house (Genesis 39:5). Even when Potipher’s wife, many times, tried to sleep with Joseph, all he could think of was, “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). The final attempt by Potipher’s wife was when “she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” (Gen 39:12). She turned on him and reported that he had tried to rape her and when she screamed, he turned and fled, leaving his garment behind. This cost him some time in jail.
      While in Babylonian captivity, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not regard Nebuchadezzar, they refused to serve his gods and worship the golden image that he set up. They answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:16-18). They got thrown into the furnace, but God miraculously protected them.
      An unusual New Testament teaching in 1 Corinthians 8 regarding eating food offered to idols demonstrates, more in depth, the importance of integrity. In this, Paul establishes that "an idol has no real existence," (8:4). However, there were brethren who were “weak” in their conscience because of their former association with idols (8:7). Paul taught that the eating of food, previously offered to idols wasn’t sinful in an of itself, but it could destroy the weaker person. “Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, [while the world standeth - KJV] lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:12-13). This is integrity.
      This is no different than the character of Jesus as seen in Capernaum when He miraculously provided the tribute money in the mouth of the fish (Mt. 17:24-27). The Son of God was legally exempt, but “lest we should offend them” he instructed to pay the tax.
      Christians are to be soul-conscious. We don’t want to be the reason someone sins. Our influence and actions are powerful. Christians need to be known for their integrity—that honest adherence to moral and ethical principles even when it does not personally benefit you—even when it seems to work against you. It might save a soul.

Incentive Driven Culture

By Kris Groda

Schools are doing it. Businesses are doing it.  Even some parents are doing it.  Incentives programs are big.  We all have, to some degree, a  "What's in it for me?" mentality.    We will get involved if it benefits us in some way.    Kids are motivated to make the A honor roll if they know they can get a free dinner at El Chico's.    Harts Bluff students get free tickets to Six Flags if they complete 6 hours of extra-curricular reading.    According to the February 2012 issue of Texas Monthly, our very own Guaranty Bond Bank was ranked 22 in the Top 100 best mid-sized          companies to work for in Texas.   Business       consultants have identified perks like pay        packages, bonuses, healthcare, paid vacations, work attendance rewards, free concert tickets, company pizza luncheons, morale boosting       contests, employee appreciation parties and a host of other incentives have made for some really sweet jobs but in some instances have    become a necessary evil to keep and motivate people to be good workers for their employers.

While incentives are good things, it seems there really is a problem when people grow to the point that diligence in work and study has to be rewarded.  Is it that way in the church?   Yeah, I think so.    What would Bible Bowl be with our   ribbons and trophies?  What would Pew Packers be like without a medal for doing memory work?  What would our Peak of the Week Bible Class be like without a points chart for doing church work that we should be doing anyway? What would    being a bible class teacher at North Jefferson be like without an Annual Teachers Appreciation Banquet?   Brethren, I am not coming down on making our work fun and enjoyable or even     having a system that would motivate and help us organize and keep track of our work.  But we need to keep things in perspective and do church work with the right motivation.  We need to        remember the true and everlasting incentives.

What incentives do Christians have to be good students, employees, and laborers in the vineyard?    Let me submit a few ideas from the Holy Scriptures.

Hebrews 11:8-10 "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same     promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. "

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but  for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Romans 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Hebrews 11:25-26 By faith, Moses,  "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward."

Colossians  3:23-24  "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;  Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

Jesus taught, "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets" (Luke 6:22-23). 

Am I incentive driven?  Yes, I am.   But not by what man can do for me, but by what God has promised me.   I am motivated to serve God and my neighbor because I want to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians  6:20; 1 Peter 4:16) and that will be glory for me (Romans 8:17). 

Resolving Conflict

People will be people.   I wish everyone could get along and never have deal with strife, disagreements, jealously,  misunderstandings, offenses and sin in general.  But, that is not reality.  In fact, even in our relationship with God, we need a mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). 

I am so glad that Christ gave a plan for unity in the church.   Not only does the Word provide information about the sin of division, discord (Proverbs 6:19), envy and strife (James 3:16).   It also provides us with a  standard of behavior  to live by and  a ‘how to’ for fixing the problems.  Paul’s letter to the Ephesians says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32).  

Jesus gave an instance of what to do when your brother has sinned against you.   He instructed, “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." (Matt 18:15).   “If he hear thee”  is very important, but not nearly as important as you going to your brother in the first place.  Paul said as much in his letter to the churches of Galatia,  “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).  I realize this in not limited to the one who has been sinned against, but it certainly applies.

Then, there is another instance, of where a spiritually conscientious person realizes that his worship of God is meaningless unless his relationship with his brother is made right.    Jesus said, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24).  While the immediate context is about anger control it is also about right relationships.  Think about it.  Jesus is saying that repentance and reconciliation with your brother trumps worship.  Stop your worship to  repent and get right with a brother?  Yep!  In fact,  Jesus went on to say, “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison” (v. 25).    In other words, reconcile with your accuser speedily before it ever goes to court. 

 

Christians are to go out of their way to maintain proper relationships.  John said, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”  (I John 4:20).  I am not interested in sinning against folks nor am I interested in causing them to stumble (1 John 2:10).  If I am concerned about my relationship with God and my brethren,  that I will be eager to resolve conflict when I know it happens.