CHARACTER IS ESSENTIAL

 

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

 

CHARACTER IS ESSENTIAL

 

Rom 5:1-5

5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

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.

 

           In an end-of-the-day conversation with my daughter, she mentioned a well-known minister who had allowed his charisma to trump his character. It was clear by her comment that this man, although very popular and influential, had lost both his popularity and his influence by neglecting his character.

 

           Character is what the Bible calls “truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6). Popularity is the result of marketing, but character is the result of rigorous training and firmly held lessons learned. It is defined by Dr. Charles Stanley as “doing what is right because it is right.” When character is observed by others it develops what Marvin Vincent in his Word Studies calls “tried integrity.” In the Greek, dokime is translated “trustiness” or trustworthiness.  

 

           Character is best known and most easily seen when it is absent. It is not always the traveling partner of popularity and fame. It is something to be sought after and fiercely guarded. The Apostle Paul tells us that it is developed as a product of difficult experiences.

 

           Character guides our decisions in life because we remember hard lessons. We do not eat un-paid-for fruit because we remember Momma pulling us into the grocery store by our earlobe with a banana peel and an apology followed by a spanking. The next time we see a perfectly ripened banana, our brain chemistry has been changed. We either leave it or we reach into our pocket to pay for it. Voila’ Character!

 

Dear Lord, I know that I am what I have been becoming. Let me arrive having been fully developed. AMEN