Integrity

Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity.
I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip....
Do not gather my soul with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands is a sinister scheme,
and whose right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
redeem me and be merciful to me. Psalm 26

Chaplain Shaw was talking to us once about integrity. To over-summarize, he said that it's about being true to your priniciples. So theoretically, it seems to me like a person who believes in selfishness and greed could be showing "integrity" when they expect other people to take advantage of them, y'know, like as if we all run by the same rules of self-centeredness.

Now, most of us don't have respect for that kind of integrity. We value the kind of integrity that causes people to stand up for what's right even when it's not popular.

So we get to these psalms that talk about my integrity. Granted, the psalms belong in the mouth of Jesus, and He certainly had integrity. But it's interesting to think about our integrity, especially with that verse where we're praying for redemption and mercy. After all, if we had integrity, we'd be so good in ourselves that maybe we wouldn't need redemption and mercy.

But what if our integrity is in "being true to our principles" insofar as we admit our unworthiness, and admit that we need a Savior, and "walk in integrity" by confessing our sins and hearing God's Word of absolution?