Character—It’s Been Buried Long Enough

By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Consider the words of Solomon:

He who walks in integrity walks securely,

But he who perverts his ways will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9 NASB)

Before reading on, go back and read that again.

By the time Job had reared his family, established himself in the business world, and gotten up in years, he had become “the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:3 NASB).

Joseph became Potiphar’s personal servant and later was “put in charge of his master’s household” (Genesis 39:5). Whether handling large sums of money or serving a large group of guests or being all alone in the home with Mrs. Potiphar, Joseph could be trusted.

Daniel also comes to mind. He came up for promotion to prime minister, and those who envied him “began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel” (Daniel 6:4 NASB). No dirt. They struck out. After every attempt to dig up some questionable issue, “they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn,” anywhere (6:4). Like Job and Joseph, Daniel walked securely in his integrity. He never feared being “found out.”

What is it that these men had in common? Perfection? No, each person I have named was far from perfect.

Easy times? Hardly. A closer look will reveal heartaches and hardships that would make your head swim.

Well, how about an impressive presence, carefully choreographed by a public-image department? Don’t make me laugh.

So, how about slick rhetoric? Wrong again.

We can dream up a half dozen other possibilities that some might suggest, but they would be as far off target as the four I’ve mentioned.

What they had in common was character. Each man I have selected from the Scriptures had high moral character. It is easy to overlook that essential ingredient among leaders in our times . . . especially during an election year.

Unfortunately, we have grown accustomed to shrugging off secretive and deceptive lifestyles. We have heard so often that finding people who value honesty and model responsibility, who promote fairness, accountability, loyalty, and respect for others, and who hold to strong, upright convictions is not realistic. As one air-headed soul said recently, “We’re voting for president, not pope.” To such an analogy I reply, HOGWASH!

Call me old-fashioned or idealistic if you wish, but my passionate plea is that we unearth and restore the concept of character. It’s been buried long enough.

It belongs first on our list when searching for employees in the workplace. It must be nonnegotiable among those we place into leadership positions in our schools, our cities, our state . . . and, absolutely, in our churches and in our nation.

Character is what wholesome parents strive to cultivate in their children. It is what great moms and dads look for and long for among those their teenagers date. It is the foundational quality that all of us expect from the circle of professionals and laborers who serve us. We may not say it every time, but deep down in our souls, we long for and expect character. When it is lacking, we feel it; we resent it. Character is the “given” in greatness.

Then why, may I ask, is it so seldom mentioned? Could it be because most have come to believe we have no right to expect it? After all, “nobody’s perfect.”

It is character we require, I repeat, not perfection. From our nation’s beginnings, back when great men and women, albeit imperfect, occupied places of leadership, public officials exhibited true virtue . . .

Dignity
Self-mastery
Resoluteness
Determination
Strength of will
Moral purity
Personal integrity
Sacrificial patriotism

They were selected and elected because they were examples in public leadership and in private life. Just because some have failed to live up to the minimal standard, the ideal has not changed.

Solomon was right. Those with integrity walk securely . . . with no fear of being “found out.” If men such as Job and Joseph and Daniel could demonstrate character in the worst of times, you and I can do so now—today.

And because we can, we must.

About the author

Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation of men and women for ministry.

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