The importance of character

‘...those who deal truthfully are His delight.’ Proverbs 12:22 NKJV

George Jones started out as a clerk in a grocery store and quickly gained a reputation for his work ethic. The thing people noticed about George was his character. He exemplified the principle, ‘Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.'(Proverbs 12:22 NKJV) George’s character brought him to the attention of Henry J Raymond, the renowned journalist. They became friends and together they started The New York Times. Years later when the newspaper waged a crusade against ‘Boss Tweed’, Jones received an under-the-table offer of $5,000,000-a vast sum of money in 1871. All he had to do was retire to Europe. ‘You can live like a prince the rest of your days,’ said the gangster making the offer. ‘Yes,’ replied Jones, ‘and know myself every day to be a rascal.’ The poet Edgar Guest wrote, ‘I have to live with myself and so, I want to be fit for myself to know. I want to be able as days go by, always to look myself in the eye. I don’t want to stand in the setting sun and hate myself for the things I’ve done. I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf, a lot of secrets about myself and fool myself as I come and go, into thinking nobody else will know the kind of man I really am.’ Nothing is more important than your character. No matter how rich or successful you become, when you lose your character you’ve lost everything. And one more thought: if you always do the right thing, you’ll never have to worry about remembering what you did!