What standards are important for a man to live by? A lesson from history: during the civil war, some of the most peacock-like officers of the north were the worst generals to ever command. In contrast, Stonewall Jackson “dressed for success” in a simple but tidy uniform. Jackson was an interesting character. Early in the war there was a chance to crush the union army and end the whole conflict. A trap was laid, and Jackson was to be the killing blow. He was a very capable general and could have executed the plan well 6 days a week – but as fate would have it he received orders to attack on a Sunday. Nothing doing. Ordering an all day prayer meeting, he spent the day in service while the Union army slipped away. Jackson went on to win many skirmishes, as one of the greatest generals the Rebels ever had, but his plain dress got the best of him. During a short rout, as he returned to the rear to regroup he was not recognized and was shot and killed by his own men. On the other hand, a quiet, aggressive general who also dressed in the clothing of a simple soldier was making a name for himself by capturing the Mississippi. This same man eventually became commander of the Union army. In a small farmhouse in Appomattox, dressed in a weather-beaten private’s blouse with stars on the shoulder, he returned the offered sword of the tall general in faultless dress uniform and told him his men could take their horses home for the spring plowing. General Grant was not a slob, but neither was he pretentious.

Jump forward a bit in time. A president sits in the white house, a man who was elected not for his great orations, not for being a war hero, but simply being an honest man. Don’t think it could happen? The country has just had decades of weak presidents, with corruption at all levels. The American people have decided enough is enough. They vote in a pudgy, balding sheriff from Buffalo, NY. A man who is so kindly he can’t stand to see someone hung. A man who’s whole campaign runs on the promise of truth. His slogan is “A public office is a public trust” – that’s Grover Cleveland. He dresses in plain clothes, and is notorious for wearing suspenders. Often he greets white house visitors at the door, and can be seen in evenings sitting on the porch in a rocker. Other nations, in particular Germany, assume he’s a weak man. History will prove them wrong! These three great men did not put on airs. They did not make themselves something they were not. They rose to great occasions and excelled. They shaped our country, our world. They had meek attitudes of service. Can you identify these other similar people? They are among the most blessed of God:

- Who am I, that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

- Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

- Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

- Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?

- But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

- he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

It’s not how much money you have that makes you righteous. It’s not the way you dress, it’s not the way you talk. It’s not what family you belong to. It’s what comes from the heart! Shouldn’t we be living to the standards of God as well?

Randy