The Lesson in Integrity

For the last twenty years, Dick Knoebel has been the Chief of Police in the small town of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. Last September Chief Knoebel made the national news for writing a ticket to a motorist who drove past a stopped school bus. The ticket resulted in a fine of $235 and an increased insurance premium.

Why did an every day traffic violation make the news? Because the Chief wrote the ticket to himself. He drove past the school bus in his police cruiser with his lights flashing and suddenly realized what he had done. He wrote the ticket to himself and paid the fine. The story surfaced after it showed up in court records and local media reports. Knoebel says he has received 150 congratulatory e-mails from places like Thailand, Russia and New Zealand. Two people offered to send him money to help with the fine, but he turned down the offers.

Dick Knoebel’s actions are a great example of integrity. Someone has defined integrity as what you do when no one else is watching. Integrity implies a consistency with your words and deeds, regardless of the circumstances. Ultimately, integrity goes deeper than your words and deeds, to the core of your being. It is more a matter of who you are, than what you say or do.

Integrity is critical if you are going to honor God in this life. It becomes an internal GPS, sort of a moral compass that guides you through the many temptations which the world throws your way. Without integrity, a man will be loss in the moral relativity that permeates our culture. He will make his choices based on intimidation, greed or blind ambition, rather than the eternal principles of God’s Word.

Proverbs 11:3 reminds us, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.” My brother, I challenge you to be a man of integrity today. Be consistent in what you do and say, that Christ may be honored and you may be blessed.

Shoulder to Shoulder,

Gregg

Who Do You Look Like?

Every year an organization publishes what they call their “Stella Awards” for the most outlandish lawsuits (stellaawards.com). The “Stella” is named after Stella Liebeck, the woman who sued McDonalds after she spilled a cup of coffee on herself while driving. Last year, the #1 Stella award went to Allen Ray Heckard. Even though Heckard is 3 inches shorter, 25 pounds lighter, and 8 years older than former basketball star Michael Jordan, the Portland, Oregon, man says he looks a lot like Jordan, and is often confused for him.

He claims the confusion has created a lot of grief for him. As a result, he believes he deserves $52 million "for defamation and permanent injury", plus $364 million in "punitive damage for emotional pain and suffering", plus the SAME amount from Nike co-founder Phil Knight, for a grand total of $832 million. He dropped the suit after Nike's lawyers chatted with him, where they presumably explained how they'd counter-sue if he pressed on.

My friend, I hope you bear a spiritual resemblance with one of the most well known men who ever lived – Jesus Christ. According to Romans 8:29 God’s grand purpose for your life is to conform you to the image, or likeness of His Son. Being Christ-like does not imply that we are on an equal standing with Christ. He is the preeminent Son of God and will be forever exalted beyond any mortal. Becoming Christ-like refers to the work of God in our lives by which we gradually begin to think and act more like Him.

As we grow and mature in our faith we become more like Christ. As we become more like Christ, we bring God greater glory. As we glorify God in our home, workplace and community, people are drawn to Him. In this way we fulfill God’s great calling on our lives.

Shoulder to Shoulder,
Gregg