Integrity

Josh and Puddle

Sometimes folks can’t focus in life, lured away toward a seductive universe, one featuring a soothing state of mental relaxation, centering problems removed. Let’s explain. People with attention deficit disorder are known to have remarkable powers of concentration without distraction, but only in the world of their chosen fantasy. Amazing. The more a person succumbs to the alluring facade, the less able they are to concentrate on other things?

Interesting and telling. A person watches porn on the internet or immerses themselves in a video game, or plays excessive bingo, or whatever they give their heart to, and the real world becomes a loathsome chore. Not too hard to understand. How can the natural course of life compete with such intense and provocative views that challenge, stimulate and require some perceived risk?

Likewise, some believers are distracted from fervent preaching and teaching of the Word, because they live focused on an extra-Holy Spirit plane, one in which nagging details of life nip at their squirming heels. These details remain important, and so do wives and family, but all of these “good” things have the potential to steal our unity with God and self.
 
So, arranging “priorities” becomes a problem relating to this issue of distraction. Priorities are simply made up of a list of things we esteem —most important at the top and least important at the bottom. The majority of these priorities settle somewhere in between.

Some good Christian folks do it this way: God first, marriage second, job third, etc. This appears to be good, but still allows room for distraction by the lower priorities when trying to focus on the bigger ones. Can I suggest a more meaningful model as this one: God first, God/marriage next, God/job third, God/whatever next.
 
No, we never leave God to focus on other important things, and we never allow these other things to outweigh God. Instead, we bring God and His overruling authority into every other priority of our lives, and if God can’t go there, we shouldn’t either.

This way, the danger of “secularizing” the lower priorities of our lives cannot get a foothold, while trying to juggle God with our “things.” No divided interest can double-mind our mind, confuse our emotions, and divide our heart. See, secular and sacred merge into one, when we allow God to preside over all of life’s phases —an integrated soul results. This is our key to focusing and concentration.

Next point, “Integrity,” (integrated soul), unifies a person under the heading of “God.” On man’s side, we learn to live in a continuum of faith-response. What’s that? It means we develop a “presence” of God, as a habit, by always having spiritual antennae operating. We reach toward, extend, and position ourselves God-ward, with an ever-believing faith that He walks right with us. God, sometimes, will make Himself very apparently there. Other times He hides the presence, but no matter; this does not deter our stretched out ear, heart, and faculties.
 
Proverbs 11 tells us that this “integrity” guides us, and the undivided soul draws the eyes of The Lord, as He runs to and fro in his search for a “heart perfect toward Him” in 2 Chronicles 16:9. The Psalmist had an expectation that this integrity preserved or guarded him, in Psalm 25:21. So, the man of integrity finds guidance, protection, strength, deliverance and God Himself.

How does the soul gain this integrating unity? Well, “I beseech ye therefore by the mercies of God…” in Romans 12:1 gives us the clue. Mercy premises all unification of the soul because it encompasses every scenario we can throw at it. It reconciles us to God completely by subtracting from us all things that we, unfortunately, really deserve.

Grace then gives us something we don’t deserve and we put this on and it becomes our integrity. Among the grace gifts are three things: Righteousness, innocence, and simplicity. Let’s quickly review these.

First, the upright live in a continuance of the “gift of righteousness” and find unity in their soul. How can they do this? By the witness of The Holy Spirit inside, we are identified as righteous sons of God. Since it is a gift of God, this righteousness never rescinds.

Second, David washed his hands in the word of “innocency”, and compassed the altar of God in Psalm 26. Guilt and accusations of guilt, inadequacy, failure, etc. divide souls, but, purity founds wisdom in James 3 and love comes out of a pure heart. Folks, a Christian who confesses his sins and faults before God, always walks “clean every whit” with Peter. A cleansed soul unifies under the authority of God’s grace.

Third, Jesus spoke of a single, (simple), eye, by which the whole body is full of light. In ancient communities the sale of cloth was done on the open market. A bad spot or blemish on a particular cloth was folded inside by a deceiving merchant. Folks who were inexperienced may have bought the cloth without seeing the inward blemish. So, a single eyed believer has no hidden blemishes or frankly no secret agendas.

He is an open book; what you see is what you get. Innocent in mercy and righteous in grace, he can look confidently and unswervingly in the face of God. There are no nagging inhibitions, impeding a restful, poised, and straightforward manifestation of a Spirit controlled soul.

In the Psalms we find the appeal and answer: “seek ye My face.” “Thy face O Lord, I will seek.” is our reply. See, all of the above “mercies” lead us to the “presenting” of our bodies a living sacrifice; a surrender, seeking and proving of the will of God. This “beholding of His image”, changes us, into a self-same image of Him.

Lastly, lets revisit our premise; distraction because of a pre-occupation? God fills this void with a thrilling life of love, acceptance, connection, and challenge. The depth and meaning, the purpose and destiny of our adventure in God, easily outweighs the best any fantasy can muster up, and God ain’t stupid!

Friends, too many, even believers, never get the unified soul for fear or guilt. Caught in a self-imposed policing of their meticulous soul-life, they only get religion, law and human goodness. No excitement here. Cmon, get some integrity and get the abundant life! Love ya