how far are you stretching your yardstick?

Some people think that my standards are very high when it comes to integrity. I don't agree with some people who find all sorts of excuses to lower the standards of integrity. Although sometimes, the defining line is a little grey, yet I think still the line must be drawn. What's the point of living with a huge grey area?

I once was having a discussion with a Christian brother with regards to gambling. Personally I feel that buying lottery tickets like 4D or Toto are considered gambling. And that person who argued with me said that he was in fact donating to charity when he buys lottery tickets and that he don't see why I should be so strict in classification. According to his exact words, he said I was inflexible.

Well, my take is always refer back to God's word - The Bible. According to God's standards, if a man looks lustfully at a woman, he had already committed adultery. God has very high standards when it comes to morals. So how is it possible that God's tolerance level can be compromised? Logically, God's standards are stricter than mine. How can one possibly use flexibility as an excuse when it comes to integrity? It is does not make much sense to me.

God is very clear. The gate to the heavens is narrow. Very narrow indeed.

So, my take is that you can compromise however you like. You can be as self-righteous as you like. When you compromise on your integrity, what else are you compromising with? Honesty with yourself?

My question is: How far are you stretching your yardstick?