INTEGRITY

"Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me (Job 27:5)."

It seems that there are many in this world who do not have the moral courage to make their actions consistent with their knowledge of right and wrong.  And there are as many who do not care and only desire recognition; fame; money; etc at any cost, including the precious virtue of integrity.

Integrity is the willingness and desire to live by our beliefs and standards.  This may cause us to be unpopular with the "in crowd" and we may be shunned by acquaintances. 

Moroni instructed us to "deny yourselves of all ungodliness (Moroni 10:30-33)."  The Lord's standards differ from the world's standards.  The Lord's standards are specific and are directed towards appropriate behavior, dress, and conversation, as well as literature, movies, television, Internet, music, cell phones, and other media.

If we were to conduct a self-assessment of our personal integrity; how would we stand?  Do we stand for truth and righteousness?  Are we recognized as daughters and sons of Heavenly Father and true followers of Christ by our actions?  Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I avoid gossip, inappropriate jokes, swearing and profanity, and being light-minded about sacred subjects?
• Am I completely truthful, morally clean, honest, dependable, and trustworthy in my schoolwork and other activities?

The Savior is the perfect example of integrity; He did what He promised the Father He would do.  As followers of Christ we should identify how we can personally stand as a witness.  King Benjamin said:

"stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places (Mosiah 18:9)."

In 1 Timothy 4:12 we read about being "an example of the believers."

I think Integrity is one of the most valuable attributes we can hope to attain.  It requires a great deal of courage.  It is one of those Christ-like attributes that we really need to work at.  We can not do it on our own either.  We can ask for the strength and for the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help us live with integrity.

The cool and popular thing is not necessarily the correct and righteous thing.  We have to decide what is more important:  Pleasing others or pleasing our Father in Heaven.