This is a question we each should ask ourselves. Self-evaluation is key to any kind of growth in character. The major component in determining your character is the standard by which you measure. For instance, in certain cultures, it is acceptable to steal food to feed your family. Some cultures believe it is ok to have more than one wife, while others are strictly monogamous. They come to accept these practices because that is where they placed the “measuring stick” when determining right and wrong.
As a Christian, my “measuring stick” is to be the Bible. I am to learn the teachings on what is right and wrong from God’s word. I am to live in such closeness with God that I am sensitive to the Holy Spirit that lives within me. We are to live a life of honesty, integrity, and love for our fellow man.
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions. Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. It is not just words, but it is words that are proven true in our actions. The most detested type of person is one who is hypocritical. They say one thing and do another. As a Christian, I am to live and act in such a way that others see Christ in me. My character is to be above reproach. My reputation should be one of honesty, integrity, and love. We are to control our anger and our passions. Our feelings should not control us.
When I think of an example of such a person I think of Joseph, the son of Jacob, in the Old Testament. You never read anything bad about Joseph. From his birth in Genesis chapter 30 to his death in Genesis chapter 50, he lived a life of godly character. He didn’t just know about God, he knew God. Yet, from his teen years on, he lived in a land that knew nothing about God. This love and trust for God had to be instilled in him at a very early age. With all of Jacob and Rachael’s mistakes, they trained Joseph to do what was right no matter the consequences.
A character trait of a person with integrity is obedience to those in authority over them. Joseph knew ultimately his authority was God, and God had placed people in his life that he should obey. He gives evidence of a life of obedience. When his father sent him to his brothers to see how they were doing he did not hesitate to go. His response was “here am I.” Whatever the task that his father asks he was ready and willing. He already knew they were jealous of him, but he went anyway, without arguing or questioning his father.
Genesis 37:13 “And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.”
His brothers hated him, and their intent was to kill him, but in Genesis 37:22 Ruben convinces them to throw him in a pit and not kill him. Soon a band of Midianite merchantmen passed by and the brothers sold him into slavery.
Genesis 37:22 “And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.”
Genesis 37:28 “Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
His godly character is revealed even more as he shows himself to be an obedient servant. He gained the trust of his master, Potiphar. He proved his loyalty and honor when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. He would not yield to her allurement, and when she grabbed him, he came out of his coat and ran. His integrity cost him his life as a manager of Potiphar’s luxurious palace and landed him in a dark prison. Did he become bitter against God? No, he used this as an opportunity to tell others about his God and gained the trust of the other prisoners.
Genesis 39:21-22 “But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.”
After three years he is once again exalted to a position as second in command in Egypt. It is this position that allows him to feed his brothers, their families, and his father, during a famine. Joseph summed all the tragedy, sorrow, unjust treatment, and betrayal of him in Genesis 50:20 when he declared that what others meant to be bad for him, even their desire to murder him, God meant for good. He understood God was in total control, and instead of feeling sorry for himself, becoming bitter, or seeking to take matters into his own hands, he trusted and obeyed God.
Genesis 50:20 “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
Is this what you are made of? Integrity, honesty, or obedience that may lead to bad things happening to you? Do you love God enough to obey no matter what the consequences? I read this last week, and I think it sums up what we should be made of. “You can easily judge the character of a person by how he or she treats those who can do nothing in return–how he treats those who are not in a position to retaliate or reciprocate.” After looking at Joseph’s life we might add how he treats those who have shown hate to the point of wanting him dead!
Look at each element and relationship in your life. What are your feelings toward others? Once you have evaluated your attitude, feelings, and actions, determine with God’s help to live a life honoring and pleasing to God. Seek a life that portrays Christ to others.
