The world is filled with greed. People doing whatever it takes to get what they want. They cheat, steal, and manipulate to get what they want. They sacrifice beliefs and morals in order to gain worldly possessions. They trade their soul in order to gain worldly status. However, there is a cost for a lack of integrity. Integrity is important. Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral or ethical principles that you refuse to change. Giving up our morals and ethical principles is giving up our core being.
“A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1). A good name means much more than any worldly gain. Jesus put it this way, “
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Yes, we can cheat, steal, and manipulate to gain worldly possessions, but at what cost? A lack of integrity will always cost us something. Something much more valuable than what we gain. As followers of Jesus we are called to become like Him. Jesus never cheated, stole, or manipulated to gain the world. He used His influence to change people’s lives, not His own. Integrity matters!
A lack of integrity is a bad look for us. If we lack integrity people won’t trust us, they will question everything we do. A lack of integrity also puts distance between us and Jesus. This is why Jesus said we forfeit our souls. When we compromise ourselves for worldly treasures, we compromise ourselves. We give up ourselves. This has an emotional impact on us. Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Is it more important to gain the world and lose our soul, or gain heaven and save our soul? Doing anything that compromises our integrity to gain worldly treasures will forfeit something much better. Our soul. Integrity is important. Gaining something at all costs will have a lasting impact on our soul. Only through integrity can we experience true peace and freedom. Why give up our soul for temporary gain?
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