Joshua 2
Later this week, I will be attending as a guest leader at a forum called LeaderShape, sponsored by Michigan Tech... There will be at least one politician and I believe business persons/leaders from Dow Corning and IBM, as well myself. I will be the religious representative as well as a co-owner of a small private business in the health care service field. We will be discussing qualities of good leaders. I am thinking that the subject of integrity will come up. And this morning I am wondering about Rahab's...
What exactlly is integrity? One of the things I have taught youth is that it is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. So that brings us to the next question: What is the right thing? Is the right thing what is best for you? For your family or friends? For the majority? For the minority? Or is the right thing that which is done according to the will of God? And... not according to any bias of our own unless our bias is to do the will of God.
In the case of Rahab, she is a traitor to her people. Is she that, because of personal fear? Fear for her family? Fear for her future? Or does she protect those who are called by God (Joshua's two men and consequently all the Israelites) because she feels that this is the right thing to do according to the will of God?
When I've considered integrity, I've often thought that it has to do with being willing to die for what one believes. Another saying goes something like: "If it's worth living for, then it's worth dieing for." "Take up your cross and follow..." means one is willing to die to follow in the footsteps of Jesus - to do the will of God. The willingness to do that for what one believes (whether I believe what they believe is right or wrong) is to me, integrity.
Rahab was indeed risking her life by being a traitor to her people. They could have found her out and killed her. But, if she didn't betray her people, it was pretty much assured that she would die when the army led by Joshua destroyed Jericho. How long had she debated where she would place her loyalties, with whom, and why? Motivation means a lot in the final analysis of integrity. But, in the end no one but God and Rahab know for sure if she acted with integrity or cowardice and fear.
As a leader in both the religious field and in small business (also service related), I am wondering how many employees are actually motivated to serve with integrity. How many are willing to serve with integrity, to do what they are suppose to be doing, even when no one is looking? And how has your integrity (or maybe lack of) influenced your children and future generations? Will it be a positive or negative future we have to look forward to? In regards to this countries economy, actually it whole future, as another familiar saying infers: If you're not part of the solution, then you're probably part of the problem.
God's Peace - I am off to the office... Pr. J
Later this week, I will be attending as a guest leader at a forum called LeaderShape, sponsored by Michigan Tech... There will be at least one politician and I believe business persons/leaders from Dow Corning and IBM, as well myself. I will be the religious representative as well as a co-owner of a small private business in the health care service field. We will be discussing qualities of good leaders. I am thinking that the subject of integrity will come up. And this morning I am wondering about Rahab's...
What exactlly is integrity? One of the things I have taught youth is that it is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. So that brings us to the next question: What is the right thing? Is the right thing what is best for you? For your family or friends? For the majority? For the minority? Or is the right thing that which is done according to the will of God? And... not according to any bias of our own unless our bias is to do the will of God.
In the case of Rahab, she is a traitor to her people. Is she that, because of personal fear? Fear for her family? Fear for her future? Or does she protect those who are called by God (Joshua's two men and consequently all the Israelites) because she feels that this is the right thing to do according to the will of God?
When I've considered integrity, I've often thought that it has to do with being willing to die for what one believes. Another saying goes something like: "If it's worth living for, then it's worth dieing for." "Take up your cross and follow..." means one is willing to die to follow in the footsteps of Jesus - to do the will of God. The willingness to do that for what one believes (whether I believe what they believe is right or wrong) is to me, integrity.
Rahab was indeed risking her life by being a traitor to her people. They could have found her out and killed her. But, if she didn't betray her people, it was pretty much assured that she would die when the army led by Joshua destroyed Jericho. How long had she debated where she would place her loyalties, with whom, and why? Motivation means a lot in the final analysis of integrity. But, in the end no one but God and Rahab know for sure if she acted with integrity or cowardice and fear.
As a leader in both the religious field and in small business (also service related), I am wondering how many employees are actually motivated to serve with integrity. How many are willing to serve with integrity, to do what they are suppose to be doing, even when no one is looking? And how has your integrity (or maybe lack of) influenced your children and future generations? Will it be a positive or negative future we have to look forward to? In regards to this countries economy, actually it whole future, as another familiar saying infers: If you're not part of the solution, then you're probably part of the problem.
God's Peace - I am off to the office... Pr. J
No comments:
Post a Comment