The Essential Ingredient for a Godly Life, Part 1

Today Chuck Swindoll describes the essential ingredient for a godly life as it mean to live our lives with integrity means that we are verbally trustworthy. We speak truth. We do not live where privately pure. We hide no shameful secrets relive no double life and integrity is one of his favorite theme. In fact, one could assume that is become a hobbyhorse of source, but in reality integrity is a reoccurring subject, not because of Chuck's endorsement, but because it's an essential ingredient for a godly life today on Insight for living have the privilege of starting a brand-new teaching series. Given the challenges of the new year ahead. Chuck is titled his study, walking with integrity times first bottle is open mind by Daniel chapter 6 is first few verses are magnificent reminders of our God had his hand on one man.

Really the only Jew in the group. The others are Gentiles, and there is prejudice against him for other reasons.

As we will see in Daniel stands firm and integrity are read for you. The first part of this chapter Daniel six. I'll be reading from a new living translation.

You follow along in the version you use. As we look into the Scriptures together to be illumined. Darius the Mead decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province.

The king also chose Daniel and to others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king's interests.

Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators in high officers because of Daniel's great ability.

The king made plans to place him over the entire empire, then the other administrators, and high officers began searching for some fall in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn.

He was faithful always responsible, completely trustworthy.

So they concluded our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion. So the administrators in high officers went to the king, and said long-lived King Darius were all in agreement. We, administrators, officials, high officers, advisors and governors that the king should make a wall that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next 30 days.

Any person who prays to anyone divine or human, except to you, your majesty will be thrown into the den of lions, and now your majesty issue and sign this law so they cannot be changed and official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.

So King Darius sign the wall but when Daniel learned that the law had been signed. He went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day just as he had always done giving thanks to his God. You're listening to Insight for living to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll sure to download his searching the Scriptures study by going to Insight world.or/study Chuck titled this message.

The essential ingredient for a godly life over 62 years ago I walked onto the campus of Dallas seminary was a first year student only a few months out of the Marine Corps. Talk about a contrast Marine Corps barracks to classroom in Dallas seminary was really really a contrast and there I found myself sitting at the feet of some of the finest teaching the theological truths that sent me into the heavenly's as I began to drink it all in a realized this is a place to learn it and I must take it from here to a lifetime of ministry.

I gleaned from those four years of biblical knowledge system of theological thinking.

As well as if you will, a box of tools that I would take with me and it would be my responsibility to keep them sharp to use them regularly to teach myself the truth that others had been teaching me for a whole lifetime lay before me. I also left with a reminder that there were a few of that small faculty at the time who would touch my life deeply two or three of them and become mentors and to this day I can quote for you. Some of the things they said to me, even six decades ago. What a difference those men made in my life and still make in my life. Though they are all past the ball died, but their words live on. It occurred to me during the time I've been away that there was a course no one could teach because this particular truth is not learned in the classroom.

I realize that even keeping my tools sharp as I would use them regularly in my own study would not provide me with this quality that would be essential for life, not just for ministry but for life and that essential quality that one ingredient that must be a part of any life is to be known as a godly life is integrity. Integrity.

I don't know that I heard the word used that much during my theological training or even today. I listen closely to the news as you did as the whole event of 911 was brought before us on the television screen. I think I heard the word used and I was listening for it. I heard it may be twice perhaps three times. It is something one talks about as much as it is lived out, could you give a definition of it.

Let me help Corning from the late Warren wears be in his book the integrity crisis. Here is an amplified version of the definition of integrity. He writes the Oxford English dictionary says the word comes from the Latin Integra toss, which means wholeness in tiredness. Complete this.

He continues the root word is in the taker IN TE GER, which means untouched intact.

Entire integrity is too personal or corporate character. What health is to the body or 2020 vision is to the eye. A person with integrity is not divided best duplicity or merely pretending that's hypocrisy here she is whole life is put together and things are working together harmoniously.

People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Their lives are open books" the Bible says much about integrity 27 times in the new American Standard. The word is used 22 times in the NIV 16 times in the King drain Proverbs is especially fond of the term, such verses as he who walks in integrity walks securely but he who perverts his ways will be found out. Proverbs 10 nine and again the integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. 11 three and again many a man proclaims his own loyalty. But who can find a trustworthy man, a righteous man who walks in his integrity.

How blessed are his children after him. Proverbs 26 and seven. How magnificent to have had a mother and/or father who walked in integrity it stays with you through life. At least the memory is there, though they may pass. I will always love the last few verses of Psalm 78.

God chose David his servant and took him from the sheep foals from following the use with suckling lambs. He brought him to feed Jacob his people in Israel his inheritance.

So David fed them according to the integrity of his heart and he guided them with skillful hands of set alone and pondered how great it must've been to live in the kingdom of David. Not a perfect man because integrity doesn't require perfection just requires character doesn't mean you never fail it means when you fail, you acknowledge it. What is it mean to live our lives with integrity. Here are some of those character traits worth remembering.

It means that we are verbally trustworthy.

We speak truth. We do not lie. We do not put a spin on the report or the story or the statement we are privately pure. We hide no shameful secrets. We live no double life.

It means we are intellectually honest or not guilty of plagiarism. What we write. We wrote. We didn't copy from someone else and not give them credit. We check our facts so that what we state as fact we can backup from another reliable source outside our room degrees were ethically clear and clean. We have nothing to hide or fear were thorough. We have the highest business practices based on honesty. We do not blame others for our wrongdoings or our bad decisions we own them.

We do not fail to admit our failures were overly vulnerable. A person of integrity, acknowledges his or her own weaknesses, or lack of knowledge if we don't know we say I don't know we don't fake it. We don't deny our cover-up.

Our inadequacies, we acknowledge that we make no attempt to impress others, or to make a name for ourselves were morally pure and relationally fair. We refuse to participate in acts of corruption, though everyone else does.

So we do not we do not commit acts of deception or manipulation. We don't use people or take unfair advantage of them. Because of our powerful title or position. Note the more powerful one's position. The more the need for self awareness and the more the great and the greater the need to check up one's own to determine one's own checkpoints and restraint. No one else is to put a restraint on us.

We do that ourselves. When you consider a life like that you take a deep breath and ask, is anyone qualified. Of course, of course, God is never given the standard were not able to live up to. He empowers us he enables us. He smiles on our actions when we live like that even though we may be the exception rather than the rule.

He finds great delight when his people walk in integrity which prompted me to begin a series on walking in integrity through times of adversity in answering the question. Can anyone live up to it. I decided to begin with a man who did so his name is Daniel. Daniel was a prophet. Yes. Also, just a man not part Angel not semi-perfect, just a man before you talk yourself out of thinking you could live like Daniel lived pause and remember he's human just like you are.

Even though there is no sin recorded against him. He sinful his depraved born with a sinful nature, but he stood out above the others. Because of his integrity. People who have integrity always do. They always do the back story of Daniel's life is the Medo Persian Empire, which was vast, governed by a king named Darius because of vast kingdom is often corrupt financial miss dealings lack of honesty.

People who can't trust Darius decided he would set up a plan to keep his empire as clean as possible so we read in the first verse that he decided to divide the kingdom into provinces or hundred 20 of them, and to appoint a high officer to rule over each province. Your Bible may read strange word set traps to know Persian word for governor. He reported 122 govern one each per providence and on top of that he chose three to watch over those 120 translated administrators to supervise the high officers and to protect the king's interest so Darius decided if I'm going to keep any kind of control on the kingdom of God.

I have people I can trust. So we carefully chose these 122 people really 123, but one stood out above the others. We read that Daniel proved himself more capable if you're a teacher in your classroom. You have a student or two in that category. They just stand out. If your coach you have a few athletes who stand out some down there so good. They earn a scholarship to college or they get on the Olympic team. They stand out. If you're in business and you have an employee who just doesn't seems everything seems to do everything right. Follow the directions thinks creatively is responsible, diligent in all the above you, the person stands out.

That's what we see in Daniel.

Daniel stood out fact we read because of his exceptional or great ability.

The king made plans to place him over the entire empire much like we would think of a prime minister, so Daniel would be the one even, not only over the Empire, but over the other 122 officers now let's take off our rose-colored glasses. Let's look at this realistically, what you think the other 2022 thought of that they could go Daniel that is terrific. Are you kidding they were eaten up with jealousy, envy, even though they may have known intellectually that he outdid them. In most areas that you want him to be promoted over them, even though it says Ext EE possessed an extraordinary spirit. Quite likely included a great work ethic. He was competent. He was honest he was accountable. He gave attention to details and priorities.

He was loyal to authority is probably was great in relational skills and so that didn't go unnoticed. The king decided I'm going to put him over all of them the news of Darius's plan quickly spread among those hundred and 22 others. The governors and the supervisors there's a mixture of resentment in the jealousy never fails.

So what are the do well we we see it in action verse four, then the other administrators in high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, so the begin to rifle through his files in today's terms that you check his computer. They went through the details of his life. They asked other people about him.

It was like God. In each of 60 minutes investigation on Daniel's life probably knew about it. What's interesting to me is that we read. Not one word of Daniel's panic. He is not. He's not afraid member you have integrity, you have nothing to hide. There's no dirt to find there's no scandal to uncover this no payola there's no self-serving, so Daniel doesn't have some kind of knee-jerk reaction against this to cover up his wrong real quickly.

There isn't wrong going on. He's living in integrity. Integrity is like a warm thick blanket on a cold night gives you comfort and security so they couldn't find anything. They were frustrated in the verse four says they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn, pause and imagine. Put yourself in Daniel sandals let the investigation go on around the way you do your business handle your finances what you view on the Internet how you conduct your life when no one is looking. How you handle your expense account when you're on the road. All of these things are very real. We read that they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn because he was faithful responsible, completely trustworthy is much more about Daniel's character Chuck Swindoll wants to show us he's talking about the essential ingredient for a godly life. This is insight for living. To learn more about this ministry.

Please visit us online@insightworld.org well as a complement to this brand-new teaching series would like to point you to a helpful resource. Chuck will be citing many of our biblical heroes to build a strong case for integrity. Men like Daniel Miller and Joseph, and he wrote a book the ties in naturally with this topic is titled Joseph a man of integrity and forgiveness. We believe this book will help you understand how to integrate personal integrity into the everyday issues of your life. One of your fellow listeners recently left a message for Chuck, her husband and sons have served in the military and she said Chuck thank you for your service. As a minister and as a Marine and thank you for your wisdom as a high school teacher. It's been tough the last few years and I just keep showing love, grace and mercy to my kids. It's hard, but through your books.

I understand the Bible so much more than I ever had Chuck's biography on Joseph is titled a man of integrity and forgiveness to purchase a copy. Colors listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org/offer you want to hear me say that insight for living is made possible through the purchase of books and other resources, but through the voluntary donations of friends like you in our monthly companions play a significant role in advancing our mission to become a monthly companions colors listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or follow the simple instructions it insight.org/monthly companions ascribes the essential link to a godly life. Wednesday insight for living in the preceding message. The essential ingredient for a godly life is copyrighted in 2021 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R.

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