Too much change

Recently I read a story about a man who was given $5 too much change when he went through

a McDonalds drive thru. The manager of the McDonalds was so surprised when he returned the $5 that she gave him a free cup of coffee. I too can identify with that situation. One time I found a twenty dollar bill on the floor in front of a cash register at a convenience store. I returned it to the cashier. After a little shock, she looked at me and said in so many words: “You are a Christian aren’t you?”

Now I would like to say that my experience was a prime example of how we can be a shining witness by being honest. But in reality, the cashier recognized that we both had children that attended a particular Christian School together. But that example and the story about the $5 at McDonalds makes me think about why it is important for a Christen to have the highest integrity. This includes not only returning too much change, but things like notifying the waiter for items not charged on a dinner tab.

Integrity is defined in Webster’s dictionary as: a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. As followers of Jesus Christ, our code of moral values is the Word of God (Mathew 16:24; John 8:31-32). And what is in our hearts needs to be reflected by our actions. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about those that were “pure in heart”. (Matthew 5:8) Pure in heart means having a single-minded devotion to God and living a life that is pleasing to Him. Our actions reflect our love for God, and that love for God will be seen in our actions. 

The Bible is full of references to integrity, character and moral purity. Consider just a few Old Testament references to integrity: In 1 Chronicles 29:17 David says God is pleased with integrity; Proverbs 11:3 says integrity will guide us and Proverbs 20:7 says integrity provides a path for our children to follow. All of these verses are implying that what is inside our hearts must be evident in our actions, even if no one else knows or sees. 

Remember James 1:22 says that we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Jesus demands honesty and integrity even the smallest things like incorrect change and overlooked dinner tab expenses. 

I believe the opposite of integrity is corruption. Here is a Wikipedia site that lists over 40 American politicians convicted of crimes while holding office in the federal government during President Clinton’s and Bush’s terms. The book “The Day America Told the Truth” by James Patterson and Peter King offer the statistic that 74 percent of Americans will steal from those who won’t really miss it. I believe we live in a society of people that lack integrity, both in our neighborhoods and in our leaders. We are called to be light in the world (Matthew 5:14) and this starts with the smallest of things like the change we receive at a fast food restaurant.

It has been said that we may be the only Bible some people ever read. But integrity even goes deeper than that. Even if no one sees our actions, we need to have integrity and do what is right. Luke 16:10 says that if we can be trusted with very little (change from a purchase at McDonalds) we can be trusted with much (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:6 – reigning with Christ). God demands integrity. (Psalm 15:1,2a O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity…)