Integrity- PUT A BIT IN IT- Tuesday
Integrity
by
Rocky Fleming
Tuesday - Put a Bit in It
"... In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech ..." (Titus 2:7-8)
The tongue is an interesting instrument. I didn't say "organ," which it is a part of our body. It is that. But the tongue is tied to our words and our words are tied to our speech. Our words have the ability to build up or tear down. Our words can hold a confidential secret in place, or be an instrument to launch a powerful and vicious whisper attack against someone who trusted us. Our words can nurture and protect, or divide and debilitate. Our words can be an instrument of praise and worship, or an instrument of profanity and dishonor. Our words can share the good news of Jesus Christ overcoming evil, or they can be used to perpetuate the evil that Jesus gave His life to overcome. We can use our words in a Christ honoring way, if they are right. We can also honor those we love with right words. We can honor our own name with right words. But we can do none of those good and positive things with our words unless they are steeped in integrity. Therefore, before we use our words for anything, we must hold them until our integrity is intact. Integrity is a guardian that doesn't allow our base nature to filter into our words. But, we cannot try to make our definition of integrity adjust to accept our slander or gossip as a "prayerful concern for someone." Our integrity is to stop our slander and gossip cold. Let's nail that one down. Let's don't try to put our gossip under a spiritual heading and give our self permission to let it fly. You better believe Jesus would not see it your way. Let's try to see it His way and we will understand how integrity with our words will become a blessing to those around us, including our self.
Why am I so emphatic about my disdain for the incorrect use of words with things such as slander or gossip or lying? To be honest, I am not so emphatic with a person who does not know Christ. I understand the world we live in and I know it is hard to not get caught up in it. For those people who do not know Jesus, these things are to be expected. Do I want to be around such people? No one wants to and I am no different. But for those who identify themselves as Christians, I have a different view. I see so much destruction among Christians within church families, within friendships, within trusting confidants because of slander and gossip, and I shake my head with a mix of hurt and anger, for I truly believe that I feel the grief of the Spirit within me. I am angry for I see divisions and jealousy planted and nurtured because of those critical and slanderous tongues and I know Satan is laughing his head off. Do you understand where I am coming from?
I am giving my life to be a disciple maker. To do this I must clearly and accurately teach from scripture. I try to lead people that I disciple to see the value of talking and listening to the Lord through His Word and their prayers. I try to help them see Jesus with outstretched arms inviting them to a closer walk with Him. The process of discipleship is to help a follower of Christ understand better those things that hinder that closer walk to Him and with Him. There is a difference. Our walk to Him involves identifying hindrances that stand in the way. That would be those things He has clearly stated that get in the way, such as bitterness, unforgiveness, and the sins we are clear on. However, most of the time we are only clear on the sins of other people and their biggies. Those people stand out to us. Those people who we judge become fodder for our gossip. We feel spiritually justified. But oh how ignorant we are to believe that we are without sin with our words against them. We need to understand that we likely sin with our words far more than anything they do, and in pointing out someone else's failures we expose our own. We are completely ignorant of the hindrance in our spiritual growth that we create with our slanderous words, and as disciple maker, I must expose this lie.
On the other hand our walk with Jesus is unhindered fellowship with Him. This is what we are invited to enjoy with Him provided there is no hindrance. There is peace and power and nurturing in this intimate place with Jesus. The Body of Christ is desperate for this intimacy with Him. But we cannot walk with Him this way if we harbor a sinful, un-confessed condition in our heart, and sinning with our tongue is just such a condition.
It is time to put a bit in your mouth if gossip and slander is your weakness. Like the bit in a horse's mouth that directs the horse by its master, your bit isintegrity with your words before the Lord. Pray that God will help you discipline your words to say only those words that edify and build up. Pray that you will begin seeing things His way, and that you will want to honor Him with your words. This is why I am emphatic. I want you to enter into that intimacy with Him that will turn your words to gold and the listener of your words into healthy plants that are nurtured to bear fruit to the honor of our King. To that end, I pray for us to yoke our words with integrity, and to honor our Savior with our what we do and do not say.