Thursday, February 6, 2014
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It was a steep trail! It was during the summer and we were up about 12,000 feet on this mountain. Of course the air was pretty thin, but it was worth the climb because my wife and I were hiking up to this magnificent glacier. Now, you can't see it from the road, but as you climb the mountain, you finally get a peek at it near the top of the trail. That would be shortly before I collapsed from oxygen deprivation. There's this beautiful white blanket on top of the mountain, especially at the end of the summer. Actually, it looked more beautiful from a distance.
See, we finally reached the lake at the foot of the glacier and we sat there and rested and congratulated ourselves and enjoyed God's artwork up there on that mountain. We even watched a couple of guys skiing in one of the few places they could find any snow at the end of the summer. And then they came down. We asked these guys as we walked down with them how it was up there at the top of the mountain. They said, "Well it was fun, but it's really dirty up there!" See, these guys had been in direct contact with that snow, and they didn't think it was quite as beautiful as I did from a distance.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Dirty - Up Close."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Proverbs 10:9. God is praising a person who is clean all the way through. Here's what it says, "The man of integrity walks securely. But he who takes crooked paths will be found out." In other words, when you have nothing to hide-you're full of integrity-you have nothing to fear. You've got no fear of discovery. So you can be a pretty secure person; there's nothing for anyone to find out about you, to catch you doing.
Proverbs 11:3 says, "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." Integrity? Well, good idea. What is it? Well, it's obviously the deciding factor in every choice for a righteous person. What does integrity demand? It means there's only one you. Like a whole number in math; an integer; there's only one number. There's only one you; no duplicity; not another you. A lot of issues are settled when you settle this one issue, "Is integrity going to be my bottom line or not?"
Now, integrity means you don't just look good from a distance like my glacier. When you got close to that snow cap, you saw how dirty it really was. How about the people who get really close to you: your mate, close friends, your kids, your parents? The people around you whom you feel like you can be yourself. Are they impressed? See, a lot of people are good from a distance, and maybe you have a great image. You're making a great impression. Maybe you're even getting a lot of strokes for it.
But like those boys who were in direct contact with the glacier, the people who are in close contact with you know what you're really like. Would they say you're patient? Would they say you always tell the truth, you're kind, you're gentle, you're an unselfish person? Would they say you walk with God when no one else sees you, you're consistent, you keep your promises, you're pure in what you watch and what you listen to, what you talk about?
See, if you're a real quality human being, the closer they get the better you look. Because there's only one you. The public and the private you are the same person. Then people aren't unpleasantly surprised when they get close. That's a pretty free and very powerful way to live.
Remember to live in such a way that no one who gets close to you will ever say, "Oh, yeah, they look good from a distance, but man, when you get close." Be full of integrity, clean all the way through no matter how close they get.