We all have problems with integrity. There is a gap between what we say and what we do. There is a difference between the appearance which we show to other people and what we really look like on the inside. We have a whole industry based on making things appear better than they really are: it’s called cosmetics. We tell people about things which will make them admire us, and we hide things that will spoil the effect. Stories in which we are the hero get exaggerated and repeated often, whereas stories which reflect unfavourably on us never see the light of day.
But if there is an all-seeing all-knowing God, then our usual approach to integrity is going to get us in trouble. You can tell God whatever you like, but you can’t hide the truth from him. You can’t boast to God about all the good things you have done. You can’t gloss over the embarrassments and the things which you wish you hadn’t done.
In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus confronted those who claimed to be the moral leaders of the time – the pharisees and religious lawyers – with a list of their breaches of integrity. They claimed to be the good guys because they followed a whole range of religious laws, but in the end their whole purpose for doing it was to impress other people. God just couldn’t care less what you seem to be. He only cares about what you really are.