PreachingTodayAudio.com

Home	Free Samples	Top Sellers	Audio Series	Transcripts	Illustrations

Browse Messages By:

Customer Service

Preaching Resources

Free!
Sermons E-Newsletter

Sign up now!

Related Sites

ChristianityToday.com

LeadershipJournal.net

BuildingChurchLeaders.com

ChristianityTodayStore.com

PreachingToday.com

PreachingTodaySermons.com

Bible & Reference

Church & Ministry

Return to Resource Center Main Page

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.

Audio	Listen Now
Audio	Download Now

MP3 Download (Single Message)

$3.50

Buy It

View Archives

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.

Return to Resource Center Main Page