In his weekly Character Counts series, Michael Josephson wrote, “Years ago I was talking to a group of Army generals about the way politicians often treat the defense budget as an all-purpose public works fund to help bring money into their districts. One general admitted, ‘Yes, if the chairman of the Appropriations Committee comes from a place that makes trucks, we’re probably going to buy those trucks. That’s the way it is, the way it always was, and the way it always will be.’

“I suggested that it was a form of bribery to buy the trucks just to please the politician. The general barked, ‘It’s not bribery. It’s extortion!’

“‘Don’t sound so powerless,’ I replied. ‘You’re a GENERAL!’

“Without skipping a beat, he answered, ‘Yeah, but I’m only a one-star.’”²

How many times do you and I make the “Yeah, but…” excuse to avoid personal responsibility? And how many times do we try to make it sound like we are agreeing with someone by saying, “Yes, but …” when all the time we are meaning “No”?

It’s a thought worth pondering … and a practice worth dropping.

As Edward Everett Hale said, “It’s true I am only one, but I am one. And the fact that I can’t do everything will not prevent me from doing what I can do.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the ‘yes, but’ disease and help me to become an ethical, responsible person remembering that character does count. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 5:37 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson, “I’m Only a One-Star,” Character Counts, 384.4.

Glen Weber wrote how “the first transcontinental flight across the country from New York, NY, to Long Beach, California was completed by American aviation pioneer Cal P. Rodgers in an early Wright flyer called the Vin Fiz after a soft drink company that sponsored the trip. On September 17, 1911, he left Sheepshead Bay at Brooklyn, NY, and arrived in California on December 10, 1911, 84 days later. Rodgers actual time in the air was 3 days, 10 hours and 14 minutes. The airplane was forced down by weather and mechanical failure more than 30 times resulting in ‘light crashes’ to crashes that required major repairs. When Rodgers landed in Long Beach, the only original parts on the airplane were the rear rudder and the oil pan on the engine. I would have given up the first time I lost my wings.”²

That’s determination and persistence! Obviously Cal Rodgers had a mission that he was determined to fulfill and a goal he planned to reach. Men and women like this are the ones who make things happen. They never give up.

As Christians who have the Good News of the gospel—the greatest news and message in all the world—we need to be more determined than ever to live and spread the gospel message especially in this day of ever increasing terrorism motivated by false religion, and an ever-increasing moral decline promoted by those who are determined to tear down all moral standards as set by God for the good of all mankind.

As the Apostle Paul said, “It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work [of telling his Good News to others], and so we never give up!” An excellent admonition for every day of the year.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so I will clearly see and understand fully all that is happening in today’s world that seeks to destroy Christianity and all that your Word teaches (including the killing of Christians), and do everything in my power to live for you, to demonstrate my faith in my daily life, and do all I can to spread the Good News of the gospel to my neighbors and to the far ends of the earth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 4:1(TLB)(NLT).

2. By Rev. Glen Weber, Spirit of Grace Fellowship www.spiritofgracefellowship.org.

“In The Death of Ethics in America, Cal Thomas quotes a letter written to the Washington Post in the mid ’80s. ‘I’ve lived both lives, Yuppie and non-Yuppie,’ the writer said. ‘In the first, I was married to a professional woman and on our dual incomes we Club Med-ed, sports car-raced, alpine skied and Kennedy Centered our 14-year marriage into oblivion.

“I’m now 42, remarried to a woman who gave up her ‘professional’ career to provide full-time care for our one- and five-year-old daughters, and living in Gaithersburg, Maryland—on one salary. Trips to Australia and Europe, Saturday night dining at Nathan’s, and Wolf Trap concerts are distant memories. Vacations are now taken in our nine-year-old used pop-up camper, and dining out means ‘Hooray! Daddy’s bringing home a pizza.’ We’ve just started into the second round of … one hundred readings of Pat the Bunny for our one-year-old. Satisfaction level in my first life measured about 2 on the 10 scale. Measured now, satisfaction is about 9.5.’”²

One thing is certain, money can’t buy happiness, satisfaction, love or loving relationships. These qualities come from within and are greatly determined by our values and attitudes. There’s nothing wrong with money in and of itself. It’s what we do with it that counts. As God’s Word said, it was “the love of money” that was “a root of all kinds of evil.”³

With noble values one can do noble deeds with his or her money. It’s a case of motives: Do we possess our possessions or do our possessions possess us?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of trying to keep up with the Joneses and putting material possessions first in my life. Help me to have a healthy attitude towards money and possessions, earn what I can within reason, and contribute sacrificially, generously, and wisely to worthwhile causes—especially causes that help my fellow man and bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 12:15 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson in Character Counts. www.charactercounts.org

3. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV).

Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England, said, “I remember being taught by my parents from my earliest childhood, that the one thing about being British was you did not have to be told what to do. You rose to your responsibilities and took the initiative. Religious belief played a fundamental part in shaping that character because, whether you take the Old Testament or the New Testament, it puts the emphasis on the dignity and responsibility of the individual. You are accountable because you have freedom.”

We, too, have freedom which is a priceless privilege. However, some people, because of this freedom, seem to think they can do as they please both before man and God. As such they are not free, but are in bondage to their own selfishness and passions. They are also boundary busters with little or no respect for other peoples’ person, property, or principles. They have confused liberty with license forgetting that the price of freedom is still eternal vigilance—which includes moral and ethical responsibility.

If we abuse our privileges, ultimately we lose them.

With freedom comes responsibility and with responsibility, accountability. We are accountable to our fellow man and above all we are accountable to God. As today’s Scripture says, “For we must all stand before God’s judgment seat … [and] each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Suggested Prayer; “Dear God, please help me to so live that I will always act responsibly, that my life will always bring glory to your name, and that I will not be ashamed when I stand before you face to face and give an account of how I lived my life here on earth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 14:10-12 (NIV).