People of Integrity

The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed. (Proverbs 10:8-9 NLT)

How do you receive God's instruction in your life? Instruction comes in various forms, from various ways, but it is all meant for a purpose - to 'help' us. If we get a box of 'put it together yourself' furniture, it comes with packages of connectors, various pieces, packing material, and even some labels. The most valuable thing in that box is often the least used - the instruction sheet! The maker put those instructions inside the box for our reference when assembling the object, but they are little more than excess packing material if we never use them as they were intended. The same is true of God's Word, his wise counselors, and even the things he reveals in nature around us - if we ignore the instructions that are provided, we will produce something, but it may not be God's best for our lives.

People with integrity are people of integrity. They have learned that God's best comes when we listen to his instructions, taking them to heart, then acting upon them. There will always be the opportunity to reject instruction when it comes, but if we want a life of integrity, we will embrace it quickly, making full use of the instructions we are given. Why? We know they will bring together pieces of our lives that were previously disjointed, doing their own thing, and make us whole again. A person of integrity doesn't want to live a disjointed life any longer. They crave the 'unity' only God's presence can bring into our minds, will, emotions, and spirit. The more we allow his instructions to be the very thing by which we form our steps, the more our path will cleared of the obstacles that come when we choose to live without his instructions.

Just as the object that came in the box will be formed into something without using the instructions, our lives will be formed into 'something', but the pieces that are left untouched in our lives will be much like those that were left untouched in that box of 'furniture' stuff. The pieces are only useful to us when they are put to the use they were intended to be used for! Apart from their purpose, they are just 'extra' pieces, cluttering the space of our lives. We don't need 'extra pieces' in our lives - we can complicate our lives pretty well without them! We need wisdom to use what we have been given, coming to the place of understanding the use of those things within our lives, and then seeing how they actually bring integrity to the pieces of our lives when they are put to their purposeful use.

Don't be the one who says they don't need the instructions - you can neglect to read God's Word all you want, but you will be choosing to live a disjointed life if you do. Don't neglect prayer - you will be choosing to do things without the wisdom he affords. Don't get all twitter-pated over the stuff you don't understand - study it longer, use your available resources, and 'test fit' the pieces of his instruction that you don't really understand the purpose for. God isn't afraid to answer our questions, nor does he think less of us because we formulate those questions. He knows we are 'processing' the instructions - just don't spend all your time processing and never acting upon them. Just saying!