December 23, 2007 - “Character”

Miss Jones, an elderly, single lady, lived in a small Midwestern community. She had the distinction of being the oldest resident of the town. One day, she died, and the editor of the local newspaper wanted to print a little caption commemorating Miss Jones’s death. However, the more he thought about it, the more he became aware that while Miss Jones had never done anything terribly wrong, yet she had never actually done anything noteworthy. While musing over this, the editor went down to have his morning coffee and met the owner of the tombstone establishment in the little community. The tombstone proprietor stated that he had been having the same problem. He wanted to put something on Miss Jones’s tombstone beside just her birthday and death date, but he couldn’t think of anything of significance that she had ever done.

The editor decided to go back to his office and assign to the first reporter he came across the task of writing up a small article suitable for both the paper and the tombstone. Upon returning to the office, the only fellow around was the sports editor, so he gave him the assignment.

They tell me if you pass through that little community you will find the following statement on her tombstone:

Here lies the bones of Nancy Jones
For her life held no terrors.
She lived an old maid.
She died an old maid.
No hits, no runs, no errors. (Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p. 58).

The moral of the story might be: never let your sports editor write an epitaph! Of course it could also be: while on planet earth, make a difference. Take an appropriate risk now and then. Joseph did. No one can say that his life was mediocre. His appropriate risks revealed that he was a person of character - a person to model.

When Ruth Graham, the wife of Billy Graham, was a teenage girl going off to Korea for schooling from her childhood home in China, she fully intended to be a confirmed old maid Missionary to Tibet. But she did give the thought of a husband some serious consideration. She wrote the following list of particulars:

If I marry, he must be so tall that when he is on his knees, as one has said, he reaches all the way to heaven. His shoulders must be broad enough to bear the burden of a family. His lips must be strong enough to smile, firm enough to say no, and tender enough to kiss. Love must be so deep that it takes its stand in Christ and so wide that it takes the whole lost world in. He must be active enough to save souls. He must be big enough to be gentle and great enough to be thoughtful. His arms must be strong enough to carry a little child (Hewett).

Ruth must have witnessed a great model of a husband in her own Father. She knew what kind of husband God intended for her to have. I think that Joseph’s father Jacob, must have been a great role model. Whether or not we have had great mentors, Christ mentors us through His Word. Today, we find out three things about Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus.


1. Joseph's distress (v. 18). Joseph is heartbroken, assuming his pregnant wife-to-be has been unfaithful. Joseph thought that his love had been betrayed. If you have ever been betrayed, you know how deep it cuts – how much it hurts.

2. Joseph's decision (v. 19). Not wanting to publicly disgrace Mary, Joseph decides to break their engagement secretly.

Joseph thought of Mary much more than he thought of himself. His reputation was at stake. Once the word got out, everyone would have assumed that Joseph had acted inappropriately toward Mary. Of course, Joseph could have made a very public announcement denying that and accusing Mary of impropriety. But instead, Joseph took a higher road and decided to secretly break the engagement. He wanted to spare the woman that he stilled loved any public disgrace.

3. Joseph's dream (vs. 20-25). Joseph is reassured that Mary's pregnancy is caused by the Holy Spirit. One might think that this was an unusual method for communicating God’s will. Of course, this was an unusual event. God does sometimes communicate through dreams. God can communicate any way tha God wants to; Jesus said that even the rocks would cry out if God so declared it. The question is, “Are we listening?” Do we look for God’s leadings, God’s promptings, God’s directings? God is always at work. Are we perceiving it? Joseph did, and became the man of the hour! He had character!

How do you get character? You have to be humble which makes you teachable and enables you to say you are sorry when you have hurt another or been wrong. You have to be obedient to God. Lots of people say, "If God would just tell me what to do, I would do it." That's no guarantee. Lot's of people were told by God what to do, but chose not to, to be disobedient. Jonah was one. God told him exactly what to do, and he stubbornly chose the opposite thing to do. You choose to be obedient and to follow God's word. You remain as consistent as possible. You do what you say you'll do. And remember, you don't get character over night. You develop it over time.
An ancient Chinese teacher and philosopher said that he had 3 precious things that he held fast to: gentleness, frugality, and humility. He said, "Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others, and you can become a leader among people."

In making the most of life, I like what one person wrote: if I can throw a single ray of light across the darkened pathway of another; if I can aid some soul to clearer sight of life and duty, and thus bless my brother or sister; if! can wipe from any human cheek a tear, I shall not have lived my life in vain.

If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire within his or her heart a sense of duty; if I can plant within my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of truth and beauty; if! can teach one person that God and heaven are near, I shall not then have lived in vain while here.

If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep my life attuned to love and kindness; If I can scatter light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse of mental blindness; if I can make more joy, more hope, less pain, I shall not have lived and loved in vain.

If by life's roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose shade some wearied head may rest, thought I may never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blest - though no one knows my name, nor drops a flower upon my grave, I shall not have lived in vain while here. Funny thing is, the author of this is unknown.

Maybe we have been heading for a Nancy Jones type epitaph. There is still time to change that. How about this:

Here lies the body of a Christian soul.
For their life held no terrors.
They lived for God.
They died for God.
Some hits, some homeruns, and yes, some errors.

Leonardo da Vinci had started work on a large canvas in his studio. For a while he worked at it – choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, applying the colors, with his own inimitable genius. Then suddenly he ceased, the painting still unfinished, and, summoning one of his students, invited him to complete the work. The student protested that he was both unworthy and unable to complete the great painting which his master had begun. But da Vinci silenced him, “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”

Our master began his canvass two thousand years ago – by what he said, by what he did, and supremely by what he suffered. He illustrated his message and he has left us to finish the picture (Hewett)