Integrity in the 21st Century

In our world today there is a missing link between people and the quality of "Integrity". It has been lost to most in our world and culture, and many people do not even know what it means, never-mind having it present in their lives. Our world desperately needs to see and learn again the meaning of integrity. To do this we need a better understanding of world integrity, how it relates toward our society, in our historic history, and to the body of Christ today.

Integrity, by definition, from the Canadian College dictionary, is that of "uprightness of character, probity, honesty, soundness, and the state of being complete or undivided." To better understand what that means can lead to many conclusions, a simple conclusion that I have made is that integrity is giving your very best. It is one of the most valuable qualities that can make-up a person. Integrity is an attitude; a quality of Godly character, and fits a excellent description of being loyal, faithful, dependable, and dedicated.

In our society today integrity is probably single handedly one of the least found qualities in western culture and the world. Our teachers, doctors, pastors, along with families, businesses, and media are all lacking in integrity. In Western culture the best description I can give to the vast majority of people is lazy and ignorant; and we are ignorant of being lazy. People spend most of their time either supporting themselves with a job, or staying occupied with entertainment like, television, movies, video games, sports, or amusement parks. An incredible umber of people today does not have a sound direction in life, a moral purpose in life, or an understanding of self-identity in general. Life is not taken seriously, and if it's not a big deal to other people, than it's not a big deal to them.

Relating to biblical text integrity in our historic period is a place I have found many good examples of not only a description of integrity but also people who had integrity. Moses, Samuel, David, and Solomon, these were men that had integrity when it came to laying down their lives for what they believed in; they gave honor, and dedication to God. They were faithful and in return God blessed them for their obedience. God looks for men and women with integrity and, in return promises a reward for submitting your life to the creator of the universe. The Old Testament profits had integrity; in relation to the profits how passionate are we today for God?

For a large part of my life I could relate to the society for its carelessness of life. I use to be in the position of following the crowd and did what was popular. I did not care about school, until I finished it. I did not care about work, until I ran out of money, and I did not care about life as long as I was having fun. I did not have a purpose to life, and did not know there was a purpose to life. When I became a follower of Christ my life turned around completely, and now my life has meaning and propose. Most of all I have hope and security in eternal life. Now I have something to live for and show integrity towards this new life.

The body of Christ is the most valuable position to have according to Christian doctrine. It gives you hope for the future and assures your salvation when you die. As Christians, we are called to a profound purpose in life, and receive understanding to who we are in Jesus Christ, the very Son of God. Integrity is a quality of Christ; He laid down his life for the whole world when He was crucified. Integrity requires all of a person, and what better than to have your whole life devoted to love for other people, and more importantly to God?

Now that you have a better understanding of the word integrity, I am sure that you would agree it is a much-needed quality in our world today. On the contrary it has been lost from our understanding and missing in our daily lives. I challenge you that this would not just be a paper to read, or a word to learn, but this would have impact on how you live your life as a person, a Christian, and may our world become a better place because of it.