Integrity is everything when it comes to influencing others for Christ. Knowing who Christ is and living your life based on kingdom values will motivate others to follow Jesus. Do your words and deeds match up? Are you who you are, no matter where you are or who you are with? This is a daily struggle to determine how we  will respond to choices, conflicts, and circumstances in our lives. V. Gilbert Beers says, “A person of integrity is one who has established a system of values against which all of life is judged.” As followers of Christ we strive to live our lives in response to the gospel of Jesus. The value of love is what Jesus taught and modeled above all else. When asked about the greatest command, Jesus replies, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37-38) Jesus taught love and showed love through how he lived. Through his consistency and loyalty in the face of trials and persecution andwhen he was alone and in private, his disciples came to understand and believe based on the integrity of whom Jesus was. John C. Maxwell says, “What people need is not a motto to say, but a model to see.”

The Lord is looking for a few good men and women who will be committed to hard core discipleship. Jesus is wanting disciples who will do the hard work of becoming like Christ by living a life of love. Through self-discipline, inner trust, and a decision to be relentlessly honest in all situations in our lives, we can gain integrity. We can become credible influencers who can lead others to become disciples of Christ. You Will Only Become What You Are Becoming Right Now Though you cannot go back and make a brand new start, my friend. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.  ---Bryan