‘As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God’. (Psalm 42:1)The race for the next leader of the Conservative party, who will also become Prime Minister, is gaining pace. One of the candidates who resigned from his government post said it was a sermon given at a prayer breakfast that convinced him to resign. He commented ‘I made my decision then, sitting there listening to his sermon, and I just thought, it’s about integrity…’ 1
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Integrity is not just for wannabe Prime Ministers but is an indispensable virtue and quality for all Christians, especially those in Christian leadership. The Christian author John Stott has said that ‘Integrity is the quality [where] there is no dichotomy between [a person’s] private and public lives, between what they profess and what they practice, between their words and their deeds.’ 2
Stott sets the bar high, and we may wonder how we could possibly achieve this. Thankfully we are not on our own. Jesus, ‘Who did no sin, neither was guile [deceit (NIV)] found in his mouth’ (1 Peter 2:22 KJV)
is not only someone we can imitate but as we are united to him he ‘is beginning to turn [us] into the same thing as himself.’ 3
Being a person of integrity may not lead us to the dizzy heights of Prime Minister, but the ultimate reward for all involved in Christian service is to hear the Lord say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21)
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Have a hypocrisy free week,
Pastor Barry
- Sajid Javid confirms sermon at Prayer Breakfast led to his resignation as Health Secretary (premierchristian.news)
- John Stott, Foreword, Johnathan Lamb, Integrity Leading with God watching.
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, P. 158.
