Whereas our words represent our person, our character is our very person. A person’s usefulness, the things which can be entrusted to him, the responsibilities he can bear, and the things he is able to accomplish altogether depend on his character. A carpenter determines the use of a piece of wood based on its quality. Laziness ruins one’s usefulness. Accordingly, character has very much to do with the Lord’s service. Consider those persons in the Bible whom God used. They were used by God because they possessed a character that was fit for His use. Their character was simply their person. They became persons useful to God because their character could be used by Him. Since Abraham, Moses, and Paul all had an excellent character, God greatly used them. The destiny of our usefulness to the Lord hinges on our character. Whether we are useful before God depends upon the suitability of our human character.
Our character is constituted of our inborn nature plus our acquired habits. Whereas disposition is inborn, character is cultivated. A person’s character is thirty percent nature and seventy percent habit. For this reason, a young person must pay full attention to character building. A person over the age of fifty has a set personality with a definite pattern that has been developed over his lifetime. In a young person, more inborn nature than acquired habit is manifested. As he grows older, he displays less of his nature and more of his habits. Consequently, acquired habits are more important than inborn nature. Generally, the character of a person over the age of twenty already contains more habit than nature. Never neglect your daily living, for it builds up your habits. For example, if a child is placed in a Chinese home, he will be cast into a Chinese mold. The same child placed in a family of another nationality will resemble a person of that nationality when he grows up. In considering the matter of character, we must give heed to our daily life, which is able to mold our character. The suitability of our character to God determines our usefulness to God.
What is genuineness? It denotes a consistency within and without. In many instances no lying is involved, but there certainly is an absence of genuineness. A person who is not genuine is useless in the Lord’s hand. Moses was a most genuine person. When he came down from Mount Sinai, he broke the two tablets in anger. He was the same within and without. It is impossible to find a case in the Bible where Moses was not consistent through and through. A genuine person is solid and trustworthy. This does not mean, however, that a person should be free to lose his temper. To behave in a pleasant way when you are actually irate is to pretend and to be false. Some people speak on a subject to two people in two different ways. While they may not have the intention to deceive, they do not speak genuinely. Those who serve the Lord must cultivate a genuine character. In confronting certain matters, we may refrain from speaking anything because of our fear of God. However, if we do speak, we must be genuine.
It is very difficult to be exact with respect to time, words, and numbers. Many things are done in a “just-to-get-by” manner. This “more-or-less” attitude is most damaging. A person must not be “more-or-less”; he must be accurate. Accomplishing ninety-nine percent of a task, leaving one percent undone, is the same as not having done it at all. We should develop a character that is not sloppy but absolutely accurate. We must be exact both in word and in deed.
Genuineness makes one solid, and exactness makes one strong. Strictness is the practice of genuineness and exactness. Genuineness and exactness can never be practiced by a loose person. To do everything genuinely and exactly requires a strict character. Whatever passes through the hands of a loose person becomes somewhat inaccurate and lacking in genuineness. Because a loose person is not strict, whatever he says must be discounted. Even his study of the Bible is sloppy. Those who are strict receive light while studying the Bible. They never let things go. When problems arise, they proceed to solve them, always tracing to the root of the matter. A loose person, who usually is curious and lives in his imagination, can never solve problems. A strict person never meddles in matters that do not concern him, nor does he entertain idle thoughts. He performs his task seriously and accurately.
A strict person is always diligent. Diligence is the most important characteristic of a servant of the Lord. The Bible is full of teachings concerning diligence. In Romans chapter twelve, Paul mentions consecration, serving in coordination, and gifts, and follows his word with “not slothful in zeal” (v. 11). One must be diligent in service. Diligence is crucial because it builds up our spiritual reserve and thus enriches us. Spiritual wealth comes from diligence. Laziness invariably produces poverty. He who is diligent is always soberminded, whereas he who is lazy is usually muddleheaded. All things exist in time. A successful person is one who seizes his time. We must redeem our lost time. Laziness is detestable because it causes our being to be squandered. It swallows our time and will eventually devour our whole life.
Diligence, however, cannot be a matter of legality or of regulation; it should be practiced spontaneously. We should be the same whether seen or unseen by others. As a person becomes diligent, he will require much more of himself. One who is lazy can never clean thoroughly, because he is stiff-backed and will not even bend his waist to sweep the floor. An unconcerned person is lazy, but he who is concerned yet does not take action is a person who has not been dealt with. Only the diligent know to work. The Lord’s servant must cultivate a diligent character and never let himself go easily. Then he will be able to handle whatever God entrusts to him. Only those who are diligent can do the Lord’s work. The more a person works, the more he will become humble, practical, and careful, and the more he will control his temper and reject his flesh. This is most profitable before God. One who is diligent finishes thoroughly all the work that is around him and has been committed to him.
D. L. Moody said, “I have yet to see a lazy person get saved.” Some people are actually too lazy to believe and to ask; thus, they miss such a great matter as their salvation. It is difficult to find a slothful person who has much spiritual pursuit.