CHARACTER

CHARACTER!

Rom 5:3-5

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Mal 3:2-3

…for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord  an offering in righteousness.

           The word “character” does not appear in the King James Version at all. The NIV translates the Greek dokime as character while in the King James it appears as “experience.” Even Merriam-Webster has a problem with the word character. We seem to know what it is and we think we can observe when it is absent. One other translation calls it fortitude. It is that ability to remain consistent even while under pressure.

           Our verse in Malachi perhaps is a good commentary on Romans because it explains that God uses hard circumstances to melt away the useless things within us to make us pure. Once pure He is not finished until He polishes us to a bright sheen. We are then fit for use and beautiful to display.

           Character, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Never forget that the beholder is God. He will determine what is necessary to make us stand tall in the face of opposition. Never forget also that the end of the process is hope!

Dear Lord, it seems that you are refining some of us with fire and shaping us with hammers. Your polishing wheel continues to make small adjustments. Lord, today let me shine for you. AMEN