Original Entry:
November 3, 2011
McMinnville, OR
They sent their disciples to him along with the
Herodians, “Teacher,” they said, “we
know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no
attention to who they are. Matthew 22:16
I believe it was
American evangelist D.L. Moody who once said, “Integrity is who you are in the
dark.” Several years ago James and I
experienced this is the most literal sense while hunting. He was a seventh grader and anxious to kill his
first buck.
We had hunted a
friend’s property for several days in a row weathering the Oregon rain. This evening was no different. We stared at the corn field hour on hour until
we were able to identify every deer-like creature on this 10 acre plot. Sitting quiet and still with camouflage
clothing as the only blind is tough for the most seasoned of hunters.
As evening approached
I began counting down from ten minutes until the hunting light was gone. Anxious to leave I convinced James to wait a
few minutes longer to see if anything snuck into the gray light of dusk. Sure enough in the corner of the field just 75
yards away I spotted two silhouettes. Through
the darkness I could tell one was a nice buck.
We watched them feed to within 10 yards of us, the whole time James whispering
to let him shoot.
Exasperated he finally
said, “I hate it that you are a man of integrity!”
The next morning he
took his first buck, a different buck, in the same field. It is interesting to
note from today’s passage that even Jesus’ enemies acknowledged that he, “was a man of integrity”, which they defined
by two things.
First, a man of
integrity knows God’s Word. I
believe the man of God should know the Word of God better than anyone in his
family. Not only does he know his Bible
but, “the way” to live according to
its statutes.
Second, the man of
integrity is not “swayed by men.” He is not fractured by the influence of
status, wealth, or personal relationships.
He is influenced by truth and the desire to do what is right even if it
hurts. He “pays no attention” to who men are because his concern is with who
God is.
