I will be careful to live a blameless life—when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. Psalm 101:2

Question:  What does living with integrity even mean today?

Millennial podcaster Rebecca Crespo offers 10 Reasons Why Integrity is Important in Life, making the point that integrity is a great trait for a leader to have.  She defines integrity as “living your life according to your morals and values.”  Included in her list are reasons like, “You become reliable.  You become confident.  You become admirable and have a good reputation.”[1]

But the Bible says that there’s an integrity that’s gained by living up to a standard found outside of ourselves.  It says, “The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).  God’s standards are explained in His book. “Study this Book of Instruction continually,” it says. “Meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8),

so you’ll be able to align your behavior and attitudes with His standard.

Crespo defines an integrity you can see on the outside–that others observe. But the integrity found in the Bible is an integrity that goes deeper than the surface of our lives, down into the secret places.  “I will live a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar,” wrote David in the Psalms (Psalm 101:2). Today, we might say, “I will live a life of integrity on my own phone or laptop.”

Integrity is formed where “no one knows what I’m doing anyway” and when “no one is looking.”

[1] Crespo, R. (2022, August 18). 10 Reasons Why Integrity is Important in Life. Minimalism Made Simple. Retrieved August 29, 2022, from minimalismmadesimple.com/home/why-integrity-is-important/