What would you do if you could do anything you wanted to do and it would never be discovered? Would that change your behavior?
When a poll was conducted that asked Americans why they did not steal, the No. 1 reason they gave was, “I might get caught.” The next most common explanation cited was a fear of retribution from the victim. But the most surprising answer of all was, “I might not need the item.”
The problem is that if the only deterrent for stealing is the fear of getting caught or repercussions from the person you stole from, then what will happen when there is a situation in which someone believes it is possible to get away with it? Will he or she steal then? The same idea could be applied to other areas of life as well. If people think they can get away with adultery, will they go ahead and commit it? If they think they can get away with a lie, will they go ahead and tell it? Fear is not a bad deterrent. But if you choose to do something you know is wrong because you believe you can get away with it and not get caught, that shows you have no character. That is where integrity comes in.
Character counts. Integrity matters. What kind of character do you have? Are you a man or woman of personal integrity? The evangelist D. L. Moody once defined character as “What you are in the dark.” Humorist Will Rogers said, “So live that you wouldn’t mind selling your pet parrot to the town gossip.”
Know this: Everyone has character. It might be good. It might be bad. But you have it. And this personal integrity or character is developed on a daily basis. With every thought you think, with every deed you do, you are either building it up or tearing it down.
It comes down to this. If you cheat in practice, you will cheat in the game. If you cheat in your head, you will cheat on the spouse. You will cheat in business. You will cheat in school. Character is simply a long habit continued. As it has been said, “Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”
You see, it is not too late to change the patterns of your life. It is not too late to change your direction. I am not much of a believer in New Year’s resolutions, but I am a firm believer in resolution, such as resolving to be a man or woman of integrity.
We spend so much time on our appearance, so much time on our image and so much time on the way we want people to think about us, yet we spend so little time on who we really are. We will spend a lot of time on peripheral issues that don’t matter, yet we won’t spend enough time on the foundation we have built our lives on.
The Bible tells the story of four young men who resolved to maintain their integrity in the midst of a culture that was hostile to their beliefs. Their names were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These young Jewish men were carried off to Babylon and brought into the king’s palace, where they were given new names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Their world, as they knew it, changed overnight. Taken away from family and friends, they were forced into an environment that was hostile to their faith. Overnight, their world turned upside down.
These four friends sat at the table of the king to eat the finest foods available in the world at that time. But the king had not considered one factor: These men had character. He felt if he could remove them from their families and remove them from their friends, he could conform them into his image. He would even give them a new name. But you can’t change what a person is on the inside.
They wouldn’t eat the food at the king’s table. We can only guess the reason, as the Bible is silent on this subject, but it probably was unclean to them. A Jewish man living under the Mosaic Law would not eat certain foods that God had forbidden. So in their minds, eating that food was a compromise.
But the issue was about more than just food – it was about climbing the ladder of success. Their presence in the king’s palace meant they were potentially being prepared for a position of power. And if they played their cards right, they would eventually be serving the king himself. Therefore, to eat the king’s food and to drink his wine was the way to climb the corporate ladder in Babylon. It was liked being asked to lunch by the boss or the CEO. That is essentially what they were dealing with.
Yet, they made their spiritual lives a priority and took a stand in a small area. It appears insignificant. It doesn’t seem like a big deal. But remember that small things become big things. Character is built in the little things and then demonstrated and revealed in the bigger things.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah faced the intimidating king of Babylon. To tick him off, to incur his wrath, could have meant the loss of their lives. But they made their stand. Even though they were in the king’s palace, away from family and friends, God was with them and helped them through this time. They made their decisions early in life, and later they were able to stand during a challenge like this one.
We need to make that commitment as well.
The time to decide what you are going to do is not when you face the temptation to compromise. It is now. You determine the evening of your life by the morning of it. You determine what you will do tomorrow by what you resolve to do today.
