AN ENEMY CALLED AVERAGE BY JOHN MASON (NUGGETS #13 & # 14)
NUGGET #13
LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE WILL GET YOU NOWHERE TWICE AS FAST
Character is something you either have or are. Some people try to make something for themselves. Others try to make something of themselves. Tryon Edwards said, “ Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go for in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.” The Bible asserts in Proverbs in 2 2 :1 , “ A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success. A good question to ask yourself is, “ W h a t kind of world would this world be if everybody likes me? ” You are simply a book telling the world about its author. John Morely remarked , “ No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character.” Never be ashamed of doing right. Marcus Aurelious exhorted. “ Never esteem as of advantage to thee that which shall make thee break thy word or lose thy self-respect.” W .J. Dawson counseled ,
“ You need not choose evil; but only to fail to choose good, and you drift fast enough towards evil. You do not need to say, „I will be bad ‟ You only have to say, „I will not choose God ‟s choice; and the choice of evil is already settled .” There is no such thing as a necessary evil. Philips Brooks said , “ A man who lives right and is right has more power in his silence than another has by his words.” Many a man ‟s reputation would not recognize his character if they met in the dark. To change your character, you must begin at the control center- the heart. Spiritual bankruptcy is inevitable when a man is no longer able to keep the interest paid on his moral
obligations.
Henry Ward Beecher said, “ N o man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.” Live so that your friends can defend you, but never have to do so. Consider what Wood row Wilson said : “ If you think about what you ought to do for people, your character will take care of itself.” Excellence in character is shown by doing unwitnessed what we would be doing with the whole world watching. Let me pose this question for you: Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are? You ‟re called to grow like a tree, not like a mush room . It‟s hard to climb high when your character is low. The world ‟s shortest sermon is preached by the traffic sign: Keep Right.
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NUGGET #14
OBEY THE NINTH COMMANDMENT
The Ninth Commandment can be summarized in one statement. “ Thou shall not lie.” Each Christian should be a person of unquestionable integrity. Gray is never right; it must be either black or white. Hope built on a lie is always the beginning of loss. Never attempt to build anything of a foundation of lies and half-truths. It will not stand. It has been said that it should be easy to make an honest living because there is so little competition. Only a person with honesty and integrity can be accurately motivated or directed. Lying will always distort your ability to see God‟s guidance in your life. It will cause you to take steps that are not right for you: Lying will cost you more in the long-term than you think it saves you in the short-term.
Lying easily becomes a habit. A person who lies once will lie again with less effort the next time. Lying is a trap. No one has good enough memory to be successful liar. T.L Osborn says, “ Always tell the truth, and you never have to remember what you said .”In Proverbs 1 2 :22 we read , “ Lying lips are abomination to the Lord : but they that deal truly a re h is delight.” Proverb s 1 9 :9 says,” A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish .” In Colossia n s 3 :9 -10 the Apostle Paul admonishes us: Lie not to one another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds: and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.
The Bible mentions seven results of lying. If you lie:
1. You will attract liars into your life (Proverbs 17:4)
2. You will lack understanding (Psalm 119:104)
3. You will never enjoy permanent results (Proverbs 12:19; 21:28)
4. You will end up in a bondage (Galatians 2:4)
5. You will be punished (Proverbs 19:5)
6. You will become a fool (Proverbs 19:5)
7. Your lies will come back upon you (Psalm 7:14-16) Little white lies grow to be big black lies. Determine to be free from the bondage of breaking the Ninth Commandment; determine to always tell the truth