Integrity

Tonight I congratulate our wonderful seniors…..

The Class of 2012, Conroe Christian School……

Two Taylors, a Chris & a Zack……

I offer congrats and thanks to our staff tonight for another year well done….

As is our custom here; as pastor I share a brief challenge at this commencement ceremony…..

Tonight I offer you a single word…..

Integrity……

Def #1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

You will soon learn that not all rules are written….

Morals cannot be legislated…..

Character is non-mandated…..

And personal conduct befalls the person to define himself with conduct becoming a person of integrity…..

In those moments, none can help you…..

Your decisions will be based upon the integrity of your spirit…..

The moral fabric of who and what you have become….

You know the written and unwritten rules of life….

You will be given opportunity to ignore those rules….

You will be tempted to make your own…..

But you…

You and only you can decide…..

Your decision will come down two thing…..

To live with integrity….

Or without…..

Please understand…..

Everyone knows; when one hands his integrity in for a day….

He hands it in for a lifetime…..

Integrity lives with written rules…..

Integrity lives with unwritten rules……

Def # 2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.

Integrity is never handicapped……

Integrity walks in and sits among kings…..

Integrity can face the odds of life and will be standing after the tumult settles…..

Integrity will not need buddy systems of special favors…..

Rather, integrity walks in and buddies and favors move to the back of the room…..

Integrity adds stability …..

Integrity never leaves that greasy snake oil salesman feeling…..

Integrity is the complete essence of soundness……

Def #3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness

There is no such thing as broken integrity….

There is no such thing as integrity challenged….

For challenged and broken integrity is not integrity at all….

Integrity is found in a whole person….

Integrity is found in an undivided person…..

Integrity is found in a complete person…..

Broken persons are incapable of integrity…..

One must understand……

When one lacks integrity in a single area of life, he lacks it in every area of life…..

Proverbs 16:11 A just weight and balance are the Lord 's:  all the weights of the bag are his work.

Consider the old weight and balances of the past….

Standard size weight placed on one side and the item sold would be weighed against the standardized weight…..

Crooked merchants were known to have crooked weights, thereby appearing to be honest and selling a fair product but in all reality, they cheated just a bit and most times it appeared they got by….

But the just weight and balance are the Lord’s…..

When integrity is breached, quite obviously the Lord’s balance and weights are not used….

Regardless how much one declares the soundness of the weights….

Remember….

All the weights in the Lord’s bag are just….

Therefore….

When tempted to lie…..

When tempted to cheat……

When tempted to set aside morals…..

Place yourself on the scale….

Place the Lord on the other side……

When He is on the other side…..

Lies, cheatings, moral challenges can never be on the other side of the scale…..

This is true of the visible temptations and sins of life….

But never forget….

The integrity moments of life may well remain unseen by mortal man….

But God knows….

We may fool ourselves….

We may fool those around us….

But we can never fool God….

Seniors…..

I send you from CCS with a single word, I hope you never forget…….

Integrity……

With integrity, nothing else matters;  Without integrity, nothing else matters…..