The test of Christian character should be that a man is a joy-bearing agent to the world.
Henry Ward Beecher
The real man is one who always finds excuses for others, but never excuses himself.
Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.
Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man’s real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man’s true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man’s character and how he handles his money.
The thing that reveals character is involuntary response, not planned response. Your character isn’t manifest by what you prepare to do. It’s manifest by what you’re not prepared for and how you react to that, that involuntary reaction. That shows your character. We can all plan for those spiritual experiences, to some extent. It’s those things that catch us off guard and reveal the real weakness of our hearts that tell us who we really are.
The Restoration of a Sinning Saint. The article originally appeared (http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/2391_The-Restoration-of-a-Sinning-Saint) at www.gty.org. © 1969-2008. Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The supreme test of goodness is not in the greater but in the smaller incidents of our character and practice; not what we are when standing in the searchlight of public scrutiny, but when we reach the firelight flicker of our homes; not what we are when some clarion-call rings through the air, summoning us to fight for life and liberty, but our attitude when we are called to sentry-duty in the gray morning, when the watch-fire is burning low. It is impossible to be our best at the supreme moment if character is corroded and eaten into by daily inconsistency, unfaithfulness, and besetting sin.
Our Daily Walk. Christianity Today, v. 36, n. 10.
The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried is the character of a man. What a man is survives him. It can never be buried.
J.R. Miller
Forgiveness does not restore credibility, and character must be seen as something that can be lost far easier than gained, much less restored.
The Conviction to Lead, Bethany House Publishers, 2012, p. 80, Used by Permission.
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The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office he has held, but only the quality of his deeds and the character of his mind and heart (C.W. Hall).
Samuel Logan Brengle, Salvation Army, 1933, p. 274.
Character is the one thing we make in this world and take with us into the next. The circumstances amid which you live determine your reputation; the truth you believe determines your character. Reputation is what you are supposed to be; Character is what you are. Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; Character is what you have when you go away. Reputation is made in a moment; Character is built in a lifetime. Reputation grows like a mushroom; Character grows like an oak. Your reputation is learned in an hour; Your character is does not come to light for a year. A single newspaper report gives your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character. Reputation makes you rich or makes you poor; Character makes you happy or makes you miserable. Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone; Character is what angels say about you before the throne of God. Your character is what God knows you to be. Your reputation is what men think you are (William Davis).
The virtue of a man ought to be measured, not by his extra-ordinary exertions, but by his everyday conduct.
We must not merely have a Christian name, and Christian knowledge, we must have a Christian character also. We must be saints on earth, if ever we mean to be saints in heaven.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 101.
What a man rejoices in is a fair test of his character. To be glad when evil prevails, or to rejoice in the misfortunes of others is indicative of great moral degradation.
The Love Life: A Study of 1 Corinthians 13, Pickering and Ingils, n.d, p. 44.
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.
May your character be not a writing upon the sand, but an inscription upon the rock.
The measure of every man’s virtue is best revealed in time of adversity – adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is.
Character could be defined as living consistently with who God is and who I am.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Shepherd Press, 1995, p. 200. Used by Permission. Get this book!
When we die we leave behind us all we have, and take with us all we are.
Lead your life so you won’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.
Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny for yourself, your family, your church and your world.
Character can never be summoned in a moment of crisis, if it has been squandered through years of compromise and rationalization.
Character is built on daily decisions. Never let character give way to convenience.
You can measure the character of a man by the size of the things that make him angry.