One of my goals in life is to raise my too young daughters to be beautiful, fully aware, purpose-filled women…who don’t lower their standards for any boys! In an effort to assure that, I love to take them to daddy/daughter dances. Recently, the daycare my youngest attends held such an event. I made sure that I put on a nice outfit, tie included, and escorted my two young ladies to an evening of dancing and dining.
Before the dance, on my way home from the office, I stopped at the store to purchase two long stemmed red roses. They were $3.99 each. I remember because the thought ran through my mind that that was a lot to pay for one flower. At the register the cashier rang me up but the total came to a little over $4. He had inadvertently charged me for only one flower. At that moment a couple of thoughts ran through my head, such as “I’m in a hurry, I should just leave” and “the flowers were pretty expensive so this makes everything even.” I am happy to report, however, that my conviction got the better of me and I explained to the cashier that he forgot to ring up the 2nd rose. He rang it up and $8 later I was on my way home.
Allow me to deviate for moment. (I promise I’ll bring it home in the end.) In the field of Apologetics, which is concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity, one of the arguments for the existence of God is the moral argument. Dr. Frank Turek has outlined it like this: 1) every law has a law-giver, 2) an objective moral law exists, 3) therefore, must be a moral law-giver. First, we can observe that every law in every society at every point in the history of the world has been created by someone. Laws can’t create themselves. To take this point further, we can consider the law of gravity or the second law of thermodynamics and can conceive that even these immaterial laws had to be put into place by something or someone other than themselves. In other words, gravity did not create itself. Secondly, an objective moral law exists. Whether there was a law against it or not, we could objectively say that murder and rape are morally objectionable. I know what you’re thinking, some people still do these things and I would say to you that even they know that it’s wrong. The ability or desire to do evil does not negate the existence of objective moral truth. It actually affirms it because everything exists through its opposite. For example, we know what day is because night exists. Finally, if there is an objective moral law, then, as with all other laws, there must be an ‘objective moral law giver’. This person would have to be someone that exists outside of the created beings (us) who are bound by these laws. That someone is God. Some may disagree with this logic but there are only two possibilities. Either there is no objective moral law and we are all free to determine our own rights and wrongs or an objective moral does exist because inanimate and immaterial objects or forces cannot determine or create anything, which would include laws.
Let’s note an important distinction between morality and integrity. Morality is conformity to the rules of right or virtuous conduct. Integrity is the state of being whole or fully integrated. It means that what you say and what you do are in complete agreement. Holiness, which is a primary attribute of God, is the epitome of integrity. Because God is holy, what He says and what He does are always in complete agreement. We are instructed to conduct ourselves with this same level of integrity. 1 Peter 1:16 says, “because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
Luke wrote, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:10-11). My earlier anecdote about the rose is an example of something that happens to all of us from time to time. It is an opportunity for us to demonstrate to God, and others, our integrity and our desire to uphold His objective moral standard that supersedes our relative moral standards. This leads to my concluding point. Everyone wants to be blessed, living fully in their purpose and enjoying some level of prominence. Most who want these things have the best intentions. The question is, can you be trusted with all of the aforementioned things? Will your character keep you living in your purpose or hinder your advancement? God, in His infinite wisdom, will at times not allow us to reach the next level in the fulfillment of our purpose until our words and our actions begin to unify. We should be thankful that He protects our purpose even when we take actions that endanger it.