Building a Life that Matters

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Building a Life that Matters Do As I Do August 15, 2010 Text: Nehemiah 5 (p.475)

If we want our lives to matter, we must seek to be people who don’t merely talk the talk, but ____________ the ____________. Nehemiah was a man of _____________. The Jewish leaders of Jerusalem didn’t respond to the governor who had an army that could make them do things. They responded to _______ Nehemiah _________. They responded to Nehemiah’s integrity. Often in our day we will hear people say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” In essence, you need to live by a ____________ ___________ than I do.

_______ as I _______. That is the ____________ of integrity. Integrity is not just honesty. To have integrity is to have ________________, to have consistency. It is to have our life be all the same. Integrity means we don’t nod our head in agreement to something in church and then live another way outside of church. Integrity means we seek to be the ____________ whether at home, work, church, or golfing. The original idea of a _______________ is one who wears a mask like an ancient actor – one who plays multiple roles. It is the _____________ of integrity.

The world is desperately longing to see people of integrity. It is why we demand apologies (and sometimes even accountability) of our leaders when we at the same time proclaim a philosophy of _____________ ______________. Integrity, like nothing else, allows us the opportunity to influence others. Integrity enables what has been called ___________ ____________. “___________ _____________ is the credibility you earn by walking your talk. It is the relationship other people see between what you say and what you do, between what you claim to be and what you are. A person with moral authority is beyond reproach.” “There is alignment between conviction and action, belief and behavior. Nothing compensates for lack of ___________ ________________. No amount of communication skills, wealth, accomplishment, education, talent, or position can make up for a lack of it.” Andy Stanley in Visioneering The world needs to not only hear us talk about following Jesus; it needs to ___________ us. Our kids need to _________ it. Our friends need to ___________ it. Our world is passionately looking for something to believe in. They are looking for a people who so believe that they actually live based on what they believe even if it ______________ with the status quo. Integrity isn’t another word for ___________. The apostle Paul knew he wasn’t _____________. (1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Tim. 1:15-16) The word Christian means follower of – disciple of – Christ. A disciple is one who lives his life in such a way that he can ___________ and ____________ like the one he is following. Never underestimate the power – the _______________ – of a person who seeks to love God with integrity. Such a person cannot help but live a life that matters.