CharacterQuotes

Below are some quotes on character from our web site Hope Triumphant. If you want to see more go to http://www.hopetriumphant.com/inspirational_quotes_a_to_f.htm

"Some day, in years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long continued process." [Phillips Brooks]"God is more concerned about our character than our comfort. His goal is not to pamper us physically but to perfect us spiritually." [unknown]

"The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." [Samuel Johnson]

"God is more concerned about what are than what we do because what we are determines what we do." [Robert Flatt]

"A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble." [C. H. Spurgeon]

“The test of your character is what it takes to stop you.” [Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.]

"Character is always lost when a high ideal is sacrificed on the altar of conformity andpopularity."[War Cry]

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become of it." [John Ruskin]

"Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones." [Phillips Brooks]

"Our character is determined by what we do if every restraint were removed." [Mrs. Charles E. Cowman]

"Integrity is the best of all protectors…we cannot be more secure than when fortified by a good conscience.” [John Calvin]

"Have character! Don't BE one." [Barbara Johnson]

"God is more interested in developing our character than making us comfortable." [R. Robert Flatt]

Persecuted Christians II

I have some more thoughts on the persecution of Christians.

Persecution of Christians indicates two things.

1. The bankruptcy of the faith of the persecutors and the fear that prompts the persecution. Any faith that cannot be defended on what it teaches alone is a pseudo-faith. When confronted, members of a pseudo-faith react in fear persecuting those who expose the emptiness of what they believe.

2. Those that persecute Christians are law breakers and violate the rights of others. Consider the follow two items:
a. The first amendment of the U. S. Constitution reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
b. On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories." The 18th Article reads: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

This is the world we live in today. People are a law unto themselves. While those that persecute Christians think they are acting righteously, they are violating the rights of others. Because they are not willing to protect the rights of others one day when their rights are being violated, no one will be there to protect them. The day is coming when the false prophet will cause all men to receive the mark of the beast and all who refuse will be killed. What we are seeing today is just a small inkling of what the whole world will experience during the tribulation time under the rule of the anti-Christ. The only difference is that what is being done by the persecutors, will one day be done unto them.

Christians need to stand true for Christ and remember the words of Jesus when He said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” [Matthew 5:11, 12] He also commanded us to “…love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” [Matthew 5:44] This is a love for Christ and the lost our persecutors will never understand.

World-Wide Persecution of Christians

Christians are undergoing world-wide persecution. Below is one story of persecution. For more information follow the links to the right for Voice of Martyrs and Persecuted Christians. The following story is from the Voice of Martyrs web site.

Pakistan: Eight Believers Killed

On Aug. 1, a mob of angry Muslim extremists attacked Christians in Gojra district, Punjab province, killing at least eight believers, including a seven-year-old child, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Dozens of homes and a church building were looted and burned. Reports indicate the violence resulted from rumors Christians had desecrated pages from the Quran several days earlier at a wedding in a nearby village. This was the second attack because of such a rumor. On July 30, Muslim extremists attacked Christians, burning more than 50 homes and animals in Korian village, Faisalabad. In both attacks, Muslim leaders encouraged the violence, using mosque loudspeakers to call on the faithful to defend Islam. According to witnesses, the attackers used a fuel that is particularly difficult to extinguish to set the fires. Government officials have condemned the attacks with unusual severity and have criticized security forces for their slow response. They said there is no truth to the allegations of blasphemy and promised to rebuild the homes destroyed and financially assist those who have lost family members in the violence. Recent reports estimate over 200 had been arrested for their involvement in the violence. The Voice of the Martyrs is providing assistance to believers affected by these attacks. VOM actively supports persecuted believers in Pakistan by distributing Action Packs, Bibles, and the books Triumphant Church and He Lived Among Us. Pray for the families of deceased believers, those who lost their homes and the pastor and members of the church. Ask God to provide for and encourage them. Pray that false accusations by Muslims will draw believers closer to the Lord and for their faithfulness to draw non believers into faith with Christ.

Another Name for Lying

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25

[This not meant to be political attack on any one but the situation is the most obvious example to show the point I am trying to make.]

In another post I spoke about various forms of lying. In today’s political arena we have now come up with another term for lying. When a person tells a lie and is caught, they say they misspoke. When a political opponent says something wrong, they are not so gracious. They call them outright liars.

How many times does one have to misspeak before they are a liar? It’s one thing to misspeak occasionally but for more and more politicians it’s a regular practice. They know that even if they are caught lying, most people will never hear the correction. The bottom line is that politicians have made misspeaking an art form in an attempt to shape public opinion.

When our new president is caught not telling the truth, he claims to have misspoke but when he speaks of the former president, he accuses him of lying. This is a perfect example of the “pot calling the kettle black”. The problem politicians face is that they do not want to accept responsibility for their actions. Accountability is not a problem in regards to words but it is also a problem regarding actions. Government is not working because our politicians do accept accountability for their actions and we, the people, we refuse to hold them accountable for their actions. Who wants to hold an a politician accountable when they provide pork barrel funds for their constituents?

The bigger problem is that we do not want to be accountable for our actions and we are afraid if we hold others accountable, someone will hold us accountable. Perish the thought! How many times does one have to misspeak before their deeds are really an expression of character? When misspeaking [lying] becomes a character trait, it then is a way of life. Sooner or later credibility is lost and like the boy who constantly cried wolf, when a real wolf appeared no one would believe him.

We may escape accountable here and now, but the time will come when we will give an account for all our words, deeds and thoughts. Jesus said, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment" [Matthew 12:36]. The writer of Hebrews warned us that “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" [Hebrews 9:25]. Deflecting accountability is not escaping it but only postponing it.

The Product of Biblical Thinking: Understanding

“…Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” Psalm 73:17


The Psalmist was having difficulty understanding why the wicked prospered and the righteous suffered. When he went to the sanctuary, not any sanctuary but the sanctuary of God, he found understanding. Understanding comes not from the natural man’s thought process because its focus, looking at life’s circumstances rather than God, is wrong, and it’s limited to the here and now. The natural thought process does not comprehend the things of God. As a result the product of such thinking is unhappiness, frustration and grumbling.


Once the Psalmist entered the sanctuary of God his focus changed. He began to think Biblically moving beyond the physical to realm of the spiritual. He now had more facts to consider. We must realize not all spiritual thinking is correct. Satan’s thought process was corrupted and it brought about his destruction and when he got Adam and Eve to accept his thought process, they were corrupted. The only correct spiritual thinking is that which is governed by the Word of God.


What is the product of Biblical thinking? It produces understanding. The Bible is directed toward the mind. Its purpose is a renewed mind: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” [Romans 12:2] In the process our minds then govern our emotions and experiences. Biblical thinking helps us see the whole picture, all sides of the issue. We learn to understand not only what we are experiencing in the present but also the destination of road we have chosen to travel. Jesus Christ told His disciples of a wide gate that leads to destruction and a narrow gate that leads to eternal life. He did not tell them of the journey along the paths they could choose, only the destination. Why? I believe no matter how easy or hard the journey, the journey is not the goal. The goal is the destination.


How does one develop Biblically thinking? There are three very important steps. The first, go to the sanctuary of God and the second is to study the Word of God. The third step is for us to pray and meditate on what we have learned. It keeps us from forgetting Biblical truth and helps us to allow the truth of God’s Word to govern our thought process. A warning regarding Biblical thinking: the purpose is not to forget our problems but to find a solution. The reason for going to the sanctuary of God is not to forget problems but to have the teaching of the Word of God to shed light on them and give us understanding.

Faith is by definition “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” [Hebrews 11:1] Faith is:

a. The means of our salvation – "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” [Ephesians 2:8, 9];

b. The foundation of our hope – “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” [Romans 5:2]; and

c. A necessary ingredient in our daily walk – “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” [2Corinthians 5:7]

What should we believe? Faith believes that God is, that He has revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ and that the Bible is His infallible, inerrant message to us.

Many people want to see in order to believe. Thomas said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” [John 20:25] Seven days later after he saw the risen Lord and saw the nail prints, Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” [John 20:29] We believe in order to see, to know the truth. It is the truth that will set us free from the bondage of sin. It is the truth that gives us our hope not just for this life but also for the life to come. Heaven is a real place. It is so not because we have seen it, but because we believe the words of Jesus.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” [Hebrews 11:6]

Sacrilege: Is it possible to worship without sacrifice?

Sacrilege's normal definition is "the irreverent use of that which belongs to God." Daniel gives us a detailed account of Belshazzar's sacrilege when he took the vessels from the temple and used them for his night of carousing and blasphemy.

After the Israelites returned to the land, they questioned God. "In what way have we despised Your name?" God's response to Israel's belligerent question was to broaden definition of sacrilege when He said, "By saying 'The table of the Lord is contemptible.' And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" [Malachi 1:7, 8 NKJV] G. Campbell Morgan suggested that sacrilege in its worst form consists of taking something and giving it to God when it means absolutely nothing to you.

One member of our camp committee in Alaska said "Tell the people we don't need any more junk for Jesus." His retort was a response to the pile of broken, out of date equipment that just had been given to the camp. When things were no longer good for personal use, people gave them to the camp. As a result the camp grounds were slowing becoming a junk yard. "Junk for Jesus" is the highest possible form of sacrilege.

The early church fathers defined sacrilege as the theft of sacred things, irreverent use of sacred things, the personal use of that which belongs to God [the tithe, first fruits], the giving of what belongs to the poor to those who are not poor, robbing the temple or giving something to God and taking it back.

Charles Spurgeon added his thoughts on sacrilege to those of the church fathers. In his messages, he made mention of many different forms of sacrilege - praying wrongly (praying "Our Father.." when you do not have a personal relationship God), living your life for self and selfish purposes, robbing God [Malachi 3:8], usurping divine authority and hypocrisy.

What do we possess that belongs to God? Our body [1 Corinthians6:19, 20], in fact, everything we have belongs to God. Are we guilty of sacrilege when we give God what's left of our time and money? Is it sacrilege when we participate in activities that destroy our bodies? Is it sacrilege when we give God less than our best?

Ultimately, sacrilege is saying to God, "me first and you can have what's left when I'm done with it." To which God still responds, ”Offer it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Accept you favorably?" [1:7.8 NKJV]

History Repeats Itself

I was going through some copies of old magazines I have managed to hold on to over the years. In the July 1963 issue of the Prairie Overcomer I found the following item. It needs no commentary.

History Repeals Itself

Tom Olson points out (Now. March) that Edward Gibbon in his monumental work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, gave five basic reasons why that great civilization withered and died.” Here are those reasons:

The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis for human society.
Higher and higher taxes; the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.
The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting, more brutal more im­moral.
The building of great arma­ments when the real enemy was within — the decay of individual responsibility.
The decay of religion; faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, losing power to guide the people.

From history we learn one thing for sure, but only one, that man learns nothing from history. Only the willfully blind can fail to see that history is once more repeating itself. How melancholy the re­flection that no society of fallen humanity has ever been able to survive the affluence and prosperity of our Western civilization!

Choices

Many years ago in a small seacoast town, in Maine a young Pastor was waiting to begin a service. The events that led up to that morning are ones that we will, never forget.

It was early May, a delightful time in Maine. The flowers were beginning to bloom, the air was warm, and you could hear the sounds of children playing everywhere. A few weeks before, Easter Sunday, many new children arrayed in their Easter outfits had come to Sunday school. One little two-year-old, in particular, had won the hearts of everyone that morning.

Buffy was so excited about Sunday School! She loved her new little Bible, the songs, the stories, and the coloring time. The next week Buffy was back in Sunday School (unlike many of the children who had come just because it was Easter). The teacher learned that in May, Buffy would have a birthday. She told Buffy that they would all sing Happy Birthday to her on her special day.

The music was playing softly as the time quickly approached for the service to begin. Pastor began the service with prayer and then two young teenagers, twin sisters, began to sing. They sang "Jesus Loves Me" and a few other Sunday School songs that Buffy had come to love.

The young Pastor, with great difficulty, began to speak. He said, "Buffy had a book, and Buffy's book says...” From Buffy's Bible, the Pastor presented the Gospel. He told the people about the Lord Jesus, that Buffy loved to sing about, and without this same Jesus they would never know the joys of heaven.

Buffy dressed in the me Easter outfit she had worn that first Sunday could not hear the songs or the message being preached that morning. Buffy would never reach her third birthday. The other children would not be singing Happy Birthday to her on Sunday morning, for she lay silently in her little white coffin. Her short life had ended a few days earlier under the wheels of a truck.

Her Mom and Dad, both overwhelmed with grief, could not find comfort in each other that morning. Buffy's Mom was sitting with her boyfriend, while Buffy's Dad sat with his girlfriend. After the funeral, Buffy's mother told the Pastor that she had accepted Christ as her Savior as a teenager but she had drifted away from the Lord. Perhaps Buffy's death would bring this broken family together again and this young mother would seek to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

"Would you like to get things right with the Lord?" the Pastor asked. "No", she replied, "I'd have to give up too much." She knew that there were many things in her life that would have to change, and she wasn't willing to do that.

Through the years, we have witnessed the devastating effect, when people choose to do their own thing. Over and over, we hear people say, "It's my life, let me do things my way!" Are we teaching our young people to seek God's will for their lives? Have we set the example for our young people? It is easy to hide behind the things we do that are good and still not be in God's will. You may be faithful in your Church attendance, teach, School class, sing in the choir, and many other things, BUT are you seeking God's will for your life?

Romans 12:1 & 2 tells us: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

Buffy's mother made a choice just as we make our choices. We may not walk away from the Lord, but we may be living a life that is not acceptable to the Lord. The Lord allows many things in our lives to bring us to the point of submitting to His will, but ultimately the choice is ours. What choices are you making? [by Mabel R. Flatt]