Topic: ARE YOU A MAN OR WOMAN OF INTEGRITY?
Bible Reading: Psalm 85-87; Romans 9.
Memory Verse: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,” Romans 9:1 (KJV)
I was at a leadership conference recently where one of the captains of industry in Nigeria gave a testimony that speaks volume on integrity. He had met a man who asked for his help to introduce him to a Nigerian bank for purpose of establishing Letters of Credit. After his assessment, he went ahead and introduced the man to one of his banks. The bank started business with the man on account of the introduction and did six successive transactions without any hitch. Then the 7th which was for $20m and the man diverted the goods. When the bank couldn’t get the man anymore, they called in the guarantee of the captain of industry and his company’s board was informed. The Board met and decided that they could not be held accountable for the loss and the bank should go and find other means to recover their money.
The Captain of industry felt he could walk away from the transaction legally as the bank also made an error in the establishment of the letter of credit which could have reduced the chance of the man diverting the funds. However, his conscience could not allow him to distance himself from the transaction. So after the Board meeting, he called the Managing Director of the bank and signed off his shares in the company to repay the man’s debt. Thereafter, he went after the man and traced all his transactions. By the time he was through after about two years, he was able to recover about 75% of the money by which time his shares in the bank had been sold and he had lost his seat on the Board of the bank! That is a man of integrity.
Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. The true test of integrity is checking what you will do in a circumstance where either nobody will find out or you cannot be faulted. Will you remain honest or cut corners? The captain of industry in this case chose to remain honest and paid a huge price for that position as he lost the Board seat of that bank in addition to losing his shareholding and having significant financial loss.
Can you say to yourself at all times, what Apostle Paul said in Romans 9:1 KJV “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,” Your personal loss whether financial, physical or social, should not prevent you from saying the truth and sticking to moral principles if you are a man of integrity. It is the integrity of Joseph that made him end up as a prisoner when his boss’ wife asked him to sleep with him and he refused. His statement at that point should be the watchword of every true child of God. He said in Genesis 39:9d (KJV), “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
You should weigh every action you are about to take to know whether it will constitute a sin against God and if so, shelf it immediately even if nobody will know! That is the true test of a Christian.
Action Point: Examine your life and make amendments to maintain your integrity.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero