‘HE GUIDES ME ALONG RIGHT PATH.’ PSALM 23:3 NLT

George Washington said, ‘few men have enough virtue to withstand the highest bidder.’ Yet that’s what we must do to develop the kind of character that will sustain us. It’s not easy to do the right thing when (a) it will cost you; (b) the wrong thing is more expedient; (c) no one but you will know. It’s in those moments that your character becomes strong. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘Cowardice ask: is it safe? Consensus asks: is it popular? Character asks: is it right?’

During the final play-off of the U.S. Open, Bobby Jones’ ball ended up in the rough just off the fairway. As he set up to play his shot, he accidentally moved his ball. He immediately turned to the marshals and announced a foul. The marshals hadn’t seen the ball move; neither had anyone in the gallery. So they left it up to Jones whether to take the penalty stroke. He did. Later when someone commended him for his integrity, Jones replied, ‘Do you commend a bank robber for not robbing a bank? No, you don’t. This is how the game of Golf should be played at all times. ‘Jones lost the match that day by one stroke, but he maintained his integrity. His character was so well-known that the United States Golf Association’s sportsmanship award came to be named The Bob Jones Award. So do the right thing, and keep doing it. Even if it doesn’t help you move ahead in the short-term, it will protect and serve you well over the long-term. Or as the Psalmist put it, ‘He guides me along the right paths, bringing honor to his name.’

Evangelist Philip Jegede’s Reading Courtesy of DWFT: Matt 5:8, Ps 24:3-6, 2 Pet 3:3-14, Ps 17:15 www.mpbs247.org