December 27

God gives us grace, but we build character

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

Reputation is what men say we are: Character is what God says we are.

Christ’s reputation took Him to the Cross, His character to the Throne.

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.—Motto over the walls of a school in Germany.

I have to live with myself, and so
I want to be fit for myself to know;
I don’t want to stand, with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I’ve done.
I want to go out with my head erect;
I want to deserve all men’s respect;
But here in the struggles for fame and self
I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to look at myself and know
That I’m bluster and bluff and empty show.
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience-free.

The great question is not what you will get, but what you will become. The greatest wealth you ever can get will be in yourself.
—Horace Bushnell.

Every man is a joint architect with God to make his own future. God makes capacity, man makes character. You cannot dream yourself into a character, you must forge yourself one.
—J. G. Carter.

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