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The Journey of Integrity (61A)
By: Lewis Smedes | 6/21/2006

Integrity is a journey of many stages of self-examination and honesty. ***See outline below.

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Message Details

The Journey of Integrity (61A)
Speaker: Lewis Smedes
Date: 6/21/2006
References: Psalm 26
Introduction:
  • Integrity is a valuable characteristic.
    -Illustration: A Bonhoeffer quote about the church's need for "simple, straightforward, honest men and women."
  • Integrity comes with hard work.
    -Illustration: A dignified lady says honesty was the hardest thing to do in her life.
  • Integrity is a calling, a journey with stages.
Accept the raw material God gave you.
  • We each have our own story to write, and must accept the hand we've been dealt.
    -Illustration: A detailed story about the author of the book, Racehoss: Big Emma's Son, who was raised with a violent prostitute, and eventually had to accept his beginnings.
Own the bad chapters you've already written.
  • All of us have written chapters that we'd just as soon delete.
    -Illustration: Two politicians who tried to rewrite their histories.
Create an unabridged consciousness.
  • We would rather abridge reality to suit our comforts.
    -Illustrations: Several important historical figures ignored the reality of the world around them, including the Founding Fathers, Huck Finn, and King David.
Keep in touch with your calling.
  • We need to constantly remind ourselves of what our purpose is.
    -Illustration: The creation of unbruisable tomatoes ended up creating tomatoes that weren't tasty.
Make sure your story fits into God's story.
  • God is writing his own story, into which we must fit ours.
Conclusion
  • Make sure your story ends with God, and with integrity.

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