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Ephesians 4:22-25 NIV; “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness . . .”

A friend of mine has been going before the courts for the last few months, trying to seek vindication over a business transaction that went bad. He has lost a substantial amount of money. The process has been quite harrowing for him.

He invested his entire savings into a venture after teaming up with some partners who then somehow cheated him out of his investment and displaced him out of the business. He is slightly elderly, looks twenty and is as fit as a fiddle. Lamenting his ordeal, he remarked, “Back in my day everything was done with a handshake. Your word meant everything. Once you had agreed to a principle you lived by it and would die by it.”

Interestingly, as I reflected on this conversation, it instantly brought back memories of another conversation I had engaged in with another friend. Many years ago he was deployed to another country with the sole mandate to acquire a business for their expansion drive. After months of negotiation he settled on a potential partner and an agreement was reached. My colleague was delighted, he had found his local partners. To consummate the relationship he invited his global CEO to come and sign the agreement on behalf of their group.

For some reason,the partners felt their enterprise was worth a lot more money than they had agreed to. They wanted the agreement amended and the amount duly paid. On his return, he advised my colleague not to proceed with the transaction. My friend enquired of his boss as to why he had so abruptly decided to stop the process. His boss answered with one word — character.

How many times are our characters put to the test and we come out second best? A person is judged on the strength of what they say and whether they have the discipline to live by the promises they make.

As we go you and I should reflect on this basic principle. Do our characters live up to the people we purport to be? Are we a model of disappointment to others or rather virtuous individuals whom the world looks up to. Be blessed.

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