Walking With Integrity

By Dave Myers

I have to live with myself and so

I want to be fit for myself to know.

I want to be able as days go by,

always to look myself straight in the eye;

I don’t want to stand with the setting sun

and hate myself for the things I have done.

(Excerpt from “Myself,” by Edgar Guest)

Today we have young adults, teens and children in the Church of God who are fine examples of godly behavior. Thank you for your dedication! God desires our young men and women to walk with integrity. Sadly, we live in a culture of people who do not do so—who may lead double lives—lives of compromise and deception. God expects young Christians to be different from those whose standards and morals are constantly shifting.

What is integrity after all? Integrity is defined as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.” Others add “incorruptibility” and “firm adherence to a code of especially moral values.”

The theme for our 2018 CYC program is “Walking With Integrity.” What does this mean for you as a young person in the Church today? We want to encourage you to adhere to the highest of moral principles—the law of God. This means coming to understand the laws of God that govern your life and your heart—and not just understanding these great moral laws, but becoming attached to them and making them your own standard of thought and behavior.

We want to encourage you to be able to stand up and say as David did, “For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth” (Psalm 71:5). It is never too early to set your path to follow God. We want you to set your heart and mind to uphold a godly standard of thought and behavior in your life—for the rest of your life!

We hope that as a result of your attending camp this summer you will be able to say, “O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works” (Psalm 71:17). This teachable heart dedicated to God will help you walk with integrity and uphold the high standards of God. Those who walk with integrity do not lead double lives, with secret, evil actions that are very different from their public righteous persona. Those with integrity strive with all their being to be completely upright before God and others. They are sound and solid individuals who can be counted upon to be trustworthy, kind, loyal, honest and loving. God is their Rock and their Source of right thought and behavior.

While we have encapsulated the foundation of integrity in this brief article, there is much more to explore and learn about this topic. Plan on attending a CYC camp in 2018 to learn the depth of this topic and to help you set your course for a life of walking with integrity. See you at camp!