Integrity
Daniel 6:4 NLT Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible.
To a builder, the word integrity means strength. To an ethicist, the word integrity means consistency. To politicians, the word integrity means … well, we won’t go there. What does the word mean to you? Surely, it is more than a slogan for a campaign.
Most people have enemies. You have yours, I have mine, and Daniel had his. We never list them as references on our resumes or go out of our way to be with them, nevertheless, we all have enemies.
If your enemies were out to get you, and did an audit of your lifestyle, could they find room to criticize you? Daniel’s enemies couldn’t find anything to besmirch him. Remarkable! Daniel conducted his affairs, and lived his life with utmost integrity.
Daniel’s enemies decided the only way they could accuse him was with regard to his faith. They convinced the King to sign a law that no one could pray to anyone but the King. Flattered, the King gladly signed the law without thinking how it would affect his friend Daniel.
Daniel’s enemies knew he would break the law. They spied on him, and sure enough, at the appointed hour, as was his habit, he faced Jerusalem and prayed. They caught him “in the very act” of prayer and ratted him out to the King.
Why did they know he would defy the King’s law? Because Daniel was a man of integrity—he was consistent and strong. Daniel didn’t pray to show his integrity, he prayed because of his integrity.
Would you describe yourself as a person of integrity? Would your enemies? Would your family?
Jim L. Wilson, Fresh Start Devotionals (Fresno, CA: Willow City Press, 2009).
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