A Word about Character

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Bobby Jones was a great golfer and had the reputation of being very competitive. He may best be remembered for winning the "Grand Slam" of golf — winning all four major tournaments in the U.S. and Britain in a single year.

A story is told about something that happened early in his career. It was 1925, and having reached the final playoff in the U.S. Open, Jones was setting up to strike his ball, which was in the rough just off the fairway. His iron accidentally touched the ball. He immediately became angry with himself, turned to the marshals, and called a penalty on himself.

But the marshals had not seen the ball move, so they left the decision to Jones, whether to invoke the penalty — a two-stroke penalty. Bobby called the penalty on himself, not knowing that he would lose the tournament by a single stroke.

Jones may have lost the tournament, but his character was legendary and today the United States Golf Association's award for sportsmanship is known as the "Bobby Jones Award."

A Christ follower knows that we face lots of decisions—many of which are made when no one is watching, at least no one we can see. So the right thing to do is to do the right thing - because character truly counts. The rewards for good character many not be realized immediately, but rest assured that God is keeping track of our decisions, and He will make good on every one!

The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Proverbs 11:3