Money Cannot Buy it
The first decade of the twentieth century was marked by conflict in the United States. Labor unions were quickly forming to stand up for the rights of workers. Pickets and violence were breaking out on the streets of our cities and progressive ideas were beginning to reign in public life. Railroads were crisscrossing our countryat increasing speed and the companies were becoming targets of anti-trust legislation seeking to break up the monopolies. Industrialization had brought on huge social unrest.
During that time, the wealthy financier J.P. Morgan was called to testify before the Senate committee on banking and finance. In a lively exchange with Samuel Untermyer, Morgan made an astounding claim. Asked the question, “what was the most important credential in a person to make him worthy of a bank’s credit?”, Morgan quickly replied, without batting an eye: “Character!” Untermyer then questioned: “More important than money or property?” To which Morgan shot back: “The first thing in life is character. To destroy someone’s reputation for character is to destroy his credit, which in turn hurts commerce.” Untermyer then questioned further: “Before money or property?” To which Morgan emphatically asserted: “Before money or anything else. Money cannot buy it.”
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue…”II Peter 1:5
Because of grace,
Tim
