True Integrity

DEVOTION
PROVERBS
TRUE INTEGRITY
Prov 11:3
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
NIV
I wonder if there is within any man, aside from the grace of God, any integrity. I think that God has to be the integrity spoken of here in order through him I can be guided safely through the course of my life, including all the stumbling blocks I shall encounter, to the everlasting city which is to come. Yes, I have to make a conscience effort to live my life with integrity, being honest and forthright in my dealings with others. Yes, I need to dedicate myself to being upfront and not withhold from another in order to achieve some form of personal gain. It is difficult at times when my defense mechanism kicks in and I refuse to admit error. I know that is not integrity, and I need to change or at least not allow that to happen. Being truthful about how I think may not always be the best course of action either through. Yet does integrity demand that? Still I think this is deeper in the sense of the choice of life. Integrity guides me in the ways of God, while those who refuse to acknowledge him live in the course of their own choosing which consists of something that will end up bringing them to an end. I cannot truly cannot judge what that would be, except the denial of faith in Christ Jesus. Perhaps the duplicity spoken of here is the talking of being a believer, but the living as if there is no belief in God. What I do know is I have to dedicate myself to a life which pleases God. I fail miserable at times and I hate those moments and wonder why I cannot keep myself from failing. Yet I know why, because I am human and that alone is flawed. Not that God created man with a flaw, but he also did not created man as perfect either, otherwise Adam would not have failed. So I must, admit failure to God, seek forgiveness, get up and keep going. Perhaps that is the truth of integrity.