Integrity and what it costs

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” – Acts 5:3, ESV

Perhaps you weren’t on Galilee at 692 feet below sea level where atmospheric conditions produce sudden storms, but the storm, which threatens to upset the boat of your life, is just as severe. Walter Meloon was like that. He had spent years building his business when a corrupt government inspector began asking him for kickbacks. Walter and his brother, who was his business partner, talked about it, and decided to ignore his request for personal funds.

Soon they found that the inspector was uniformly rejecting the boats their company produced that led them to serious finan- cial trouble. Walter described it with these words. “One night while I was soaking my Bible with tears, I cried out, ‘Lord, where do we go from here? How long will it last?’” God gave Walter Meloon a promise found in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

God met Walter Meloon and gradually the storm subsided just as Jesus Christ stilled the storm long ago. Because of this experience, he became a more compassionate, understanding individual. Meloon never forgot that integrity often comes with a price tag attached, yet the cost of compromise corrupts and tarnishes in ways that make success pale.

It’s possible to be a success without integrity – vast numbers of individuals are. They cut corners to gain a business advantage and may even get away with dishonesty and fraud, yet profit is temporary and others who know such a person realize he is untrustworthy and can be bought for a price. Long ago William Shakespeare wrote, “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” It’s still true.

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to in[email protected]. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.