Influencers Weekly Devotional

September 7, 2010

Go With ME

Embracing our Sacred Responsibility with Christ

Roger Clemens, meet General Maximus Decimus Meridius

Integrity - (defined) "adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty"

I spoke at a conference recently that was entitled, "Integrity Conference." I was the speaker on Saturday morning, following the Friday night speaker. When I started my talk, I asked if anyone had given them the definition of integrity, to which all shook their heads, “No.” I then asked why it would be important that we got a clear definition before I began speaking to them about the subject. They connected pretty quickly and answered, "Because we probably have forgotten what it means." They were right. The majority of men today have a disconnect to what true integrity is, for in this day of synthetic heroes and situational ethics, we just don't see a clear representation of integrity. When we think we have found someone with integrity, we are often disappointed by his life behind the scenes. We must often go someplace other than where our publicized celebrity heroes live to find integrity in action, for it seems very hard to find. Oftentimes, we think we have found him as an idealized hero in a movie. The problem is that Hollywood is good about selling an idealized character in their movie without living it out themselves. So, who and what can we believe? Occasionally, there is a character in a movie that is close enough to real life by what he says and how he acts that it resonates within us. We see qualities we need to embrace, for they encourage the hero deep within us to come out. I think there is a movie character such as this, and there are parts of him that need to be embraced. He is not all good. But he has a code of honor which is very good. Allow him to introduce himself: “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.” If you haven't figured it out yet, this quote comes from the lead character in the movie, Gladiator. I mentioned he is not all good, for certainly, we know that God would not have us seek our own revenge. God says, "Vengeance is Mine." But I know God would appreciate a man who would look an accuser in the face and tell the truth about what he has done when it would be easier to lie about the truth. When Maximus revealed who he was, and came out of hiding, a hero emerged and won our hearts. Don't you think this is something "Rocket Roger Clemens" needs to do? Everybody, including those who don't know the game of baseball, knows the guy "juiced" with some kind of steroid. And yet, he has crawled into a zone of denial, thinking if he keeps denying the truth, they can't really determine if he did it. But we already know he did it. What Roger doesn't understand is the public isn't looking for his admission so he can be broken by the truth. We are looking for truth, so he can be liberated by it. We want the guy, who could do more with a baseball than could be imagined, to come forward and say, "I am Roger Clemens. I made a mistake, and I sincerely regret it. I'll take my punishment, for I want to be the man all you expect me to be." I believe if Roger did this, his integrity in the public eye would be restored. He would - demonstrate a key ingredient in integrity- honesty. As we continue to explore the word integrity, I find it interesting that the word has a synonym that says a lot, for I think it is in fact a major motivation why a man would live with integrity. The synonym is honor. In other words, integrity and honor go hand in hand. Little wonder our character General Maximus would challenge his men before a battle with the words, "StrengthandHonor." Honor and integrity is strength, and these characteristics are at the core of all heroes, whether they are real-life or idealized characters in the movies. Now, let's go to some real life heroes who really did live and die in the Colosseum in Rome. These are men and women who died by wild animals, by being burned alive, and by every cruel way one could think of, simply because they were Christians. They didn't get the applause of the audience like our hero Maximus did. The fact is that they were there to die for the entertainment of the audience. Speaking of courage for telling the truth, these men and women, and likely, children, could have been dismissed from the cruel death they would face by simply denying Christ and by worshipping Caesar. They could not and would not, for they lived by their integrity, and this required of them honesty and honor. They could not deny the truth, and they would not dishonor their King Jesus by dishonoring Him with a lie. This required the greatest courage of all, a courage to do what was right when it was not for themselves, but for Jesus Christ. Little did they know, their courage was building a foundation of faith that you and I walk on today. Men, this is where true integrity, honor and courage is seen. It is seen in those men and women who are willing to live their faith out in spite of the negative backlash it will bring to their life. This kind of courage and integrity is inspired and caught through living side-by-side with the greatest and most courageous Leader Who ever walked this planet Earth. We don't earn it, or discipline ourself into it. These characteristics are absorbed in us, as we abide in the Vine. They are called the "Fruit of the Spirit," and they are available for all God's men, if we will get into close proximity with Him. So, let's allow Him to make of us the true heroes needed for this world today. The world wants to see men like this, and it needs to see us in action. Courage and Honor, through Jesus Christ, and Him alone, Rocky TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL, CLICK HERE