“Men are born equal, free and are distinguished alone by virtue.”         –Lorenzo de Zavala

“Every man and woman should consider the consequences of his or her actions, and those actions should be considered beforehand, not after.”         –Louis L’Amour

What kind of virtues are seen in your life?  It seems as though it is unpopular to be a person of virtue anymore.  Speak the truth and you are derided.  In fact, many make fun of those who seem to practice virtues or try to live according to God’s Word.
Armour Patterson wrote about the virtues of those who rode the range.  His list included:  courage, skills, toughness, endurance, work ethic, and honesty.  He writes, “[these men] cared very much what was thought of them and how they measured up to the high standards of their unspoken code…  A cowboy who failed to exhibit them would not hold a job for long.”  Today we are full of excuses.  “I’m only human,” or, “We all make mistakes.”  Only those rare few are shamed when they don’t measure up, and then they work the harder to overcome that mark upon their lives.
Virtues must be important, or you might look at it as positive character traits that help you get through the obstacles of life.  It must be important, just look at the following:
Peter:  diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.  (2 Peter 1:5-7, NKJV)
Paul:  glory in tribulation, perseverance, character, hope.  (Romans 5:2-4, NKJV)
Holy Spirit via Paul:  love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV)
James:  joy in trials, faith, patience, wisdom.  (James 1:2-5, NKJV)
Now take these few terms and see if leaders you know exhibit them.  Notice, these are positive traits, there are those lists that show negative traits.  Maybe even more important, how are these being developed in your own life?  We seem to be more concerned about enjoying life, having fun, and not get involved with the issues of life.
It is vital that we live the Word.  How can we influence those around us unless we develop these traits?  I understand that these are a lifetime in the development.  The process in each of us is not necessarily easy, yet we are expected to display them.

“Man hath his daily work of body or mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of Heaven on all his ways.”
–John Milton

“He that hath lent you talents hath also said, ‘Occupy till I come!’  Your strength is a talent, your parts are talents, and so is your time.  How is it that ye stand all day idle?…  Your trade is your proper province.”         –Richard Steele

The group that most influenced early America probably is the most maligned today.  The Puritans brought the concept of a “City on a Hill” to this country, and it is still true.  It might not refer to being a “Light unto the World” but the world continues to look at America.  They watch to see what America will do in certain situations.
Another thing they brought with them to America was the burning desire to please God.  They passed the first public school law, the Ole Deluder Satan Act (how about that title?) requiring schools so children would be taught to read and would not be deluded or tricked by Satan.  They also brought what is referred to as the Puritan Work Ethic.
I found an article in my files written by Leland Ryken, taken from “Christianity Today” about the Puritan Work Ethic.  In light of the times in which we live; the thoughts of entitlement, the bouncing around from one job to another, there is a need for this “Ethic” to rebound.  Ryken asserts, “It judges every honorable job to be of intrinsic value, and integrates every vocation with a Christian’s spiritual life.  It makes every job consequential by regarding it as the arena for glorifying and obeying God and for expressing love (through service) to a neighbor.”
1)  The Puritans declared the sanctity of all honorable work.
“For the Puritans, all of life was God’s.  Their goal was to integrate their daily work with their religious devotion to God.”  How would work today, in fact society, change if this was the maxim for life in the work force today?
2)  God calls every person to his or her vocation.
I have talked with hundreds of students and have asked the question when they go to college or join the work force, “Is that what God wants for your life?  Most reply with a shrug, as if it doesn’t matter.  But it is vital to one’s life and well-being.  To follow God’s will for your life is to obey God.  A person who realizes that his work is of God understands that the worker is a steward who serves God.  “Work, in this view, ceases to be impersonal.”  There is so much talk about a “relationship versus religion” today, then it should behoove the individual to work for God in whatever occupation they are in.  “Work becomes one of the means by which a person lives out his or her personal relationship to God.”
3)  This leads to a true estimate of the motivation and goals of work.
Why are we on this earth?  “To serve God in the serving of men in the works of our callings.”  (William Perkins)  When God blesses with wealth, what then is the responsibility of that person?  It is to serve man in the best way possible.  That is not to say, that money should be thrown out, but it is the responsible use of money/wealth for the good of mankind.  Ryken states, “Their ideals were obedience to God, service to humanity, and reliance on God’s grace.”
4)  They bequeathed a sense of moderation in work.
There must be a middle position between the extremes of laziness and the slavish addiction to work.  “The goal of the Puritans was moderation.  To work with zeal and yet not give one’s soul to his or her work was what they strove for.” (Ryken)  I know of a man who became a multi-millionaire by the time he was in his thirties, only to lose his family and his children to drugs.  Work was his God, but do not be a sloth either, there is a time for work.

I really don’t know why, but “Rock of Ages” is my second favorite song.  Perhaps it is the haunting melody, or maybe it is the message that there is no hope with Jesus Christ and the grace that He bestows.  The Rock is a place of safety.  The Rock brings shades in during the heat of the day.  The Rock is a fortress, a place in which we can hide from the enemy of our souls.  Plus look at the phrase, “be of sin the double cure.”  It is not only for salvation, but also for sanctification.

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.”
–Augustus M. Toplady

It is not of works, lest any man should boast, but it is through His grace.  We can work our fingers to the bone to try and earn salvation–it won’t happen.  We can do great works of kindness and benevolence–still no salvation.  Sacrifices, rituals, jumping at the altars, and tears–all these do not work.

“Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.”

We are helpless; we are hopeless without Christ.  Perhaps this is why man fights against God so much.  Man likes to think he can do great wonders, and he can, but he cannot save himself.  If he tries there is only frustration and despair.  It must be Christ and Christ alone.  When all efforts have gone and there is nothing left to do–then cling to the cross.

“Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.”

That last wilderness awaits all of us.  Death is a mystery and defies imagination.  We try to conjure up images; there are records of “death and near death” experiences, but it is that last wilderness in which everyone must trod.  But with Jesus Christ we can enter that time and be ready to soar.  In that day we shall truly see Him as He is, in all of His splendor, majesty, and glory.

“While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.”

“It seems to me a man comes into this world with a little ready raw material–himself.  His folks can only give him sort of a push, and a mite of teaching, but in the long run what a man becomes is his own problem.  There’ve always been hard times, there’ve always been wars and troubles–famine, disease, and such-like–and some folks are born with money, some with none.  In the end it is up to the man what he becomes, and none of those other things matter.  In horses, dogs, and men it is character that counts.”         –Louis L’Amour

“When we tolerate impudence for the sake of material comforts, then we abandon our self-respect, the flood-gates are opened, chaos bursts the dam that we are to defend; and we are responsible for it all.”         –Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Man is quick to blame his birth, his environment, or his circumstances for his predicament.  He rarely will accept anything that might shine on his character.  No man is a slave to the environment in which he happens to find himself.  Sure storms may come–physical, mental, or spiritual–but the reaction to that storm and the choices made during and afterward are what is important.
We are living in a time that is like no other in the terms of technology and communication.  Perhaps that will lead to more evil, but there has always been evil lurking.  It is the way of Satan; it is the way of the world.  Man has two natures, a physical one and a spiritual one. When the ingredients that make up the physical nature begin to get out of proportion, when they begin to dominate and try to destroy or ignore the spiritual nature, then manhood has gone wrong.
Man from earliest days has wanted to assert himself over God.  Man has deemed that he is as great, or greater than the One who created him.  One of the reasons why there is such a challenge to the role of men/women in society is that God made each with certain physical and spiritual characteristics.  God made them to fulfill certain roles.  Man wants to reject that, thus he has thrust upon society the acceptance of gay and transgender lifestyles.  This evil side of man insists on living in one world–the one in which he is in charge.
In his choices, man has chosen to push God to the side and instead he gratifies his desires and feelings.  God’s word is secondary.  In fact, man has the audacity to defy the will of God.  He is obstinate; no logic, no common sense, no appeal to the spiritual side, and no sense of decency will deter him from his evil ways.

“For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”
–Proverbs 1:32-33 (NKJV)