Soon it will be time for us to celebrate once more the day of our country's independence. Similarly, those of us who are saved have a "day of independence" in our spiritual lives when we were set free from sin by the blood of Christ! As I think about America and the day it was set free from the rule of England, there was a certain direction that this nation was on it's way to taking. America was then free to truly mature on it's own - with the help and guidance of God through His Holy Word, the Bible. So too, in our lives when we have been set free from the shackles of sin, should we be maturing in the very same way! How much development have you honestly seen take place in your life since the day of your salvation? Character is precisely what the men and women that built this great nation had - and lots of it! As a matter of fact, character is something that God Himself expects us to have…
Matthew 5:48 (KJV)
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
If the Bible tells us to be perfect, then it must be possible! This is not sinlessness that God is talking about here, but rather full maturity of the saint. You see ladies, the Lord is more concerned about our character than our comfort! His goal is not to pamper us physically but to perfect us spiritually. God expects that His children should grow UP and grow IN character. And it is through His Word that this is possible!
2 Cor. 7:1 (KJV)
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God.
Are you busy at "perfecting holiness" in your life; are you trying at all to grow in godly character?? In this life we cannot be flawless, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible. He is our model for perfect character! To perfect holiness in our lives we are going to have to thoroughly cleanse ourselves and separate ourselves from the world’s sinful values. We are going to have to be devoted to God’s desires, rather than our own. You see, ladies, desirable character is molded by God’s standards, not just human ones. The expression of Christian character is not “good doing”, but God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has truly transformed you, you will exhibit DIVINE characteristics in your life, not simply good human characteristics. In other words, God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian is that the supernatural is made natural in him by the grace of God, and the experience of this works out in the practical details of life. Such was the character of our founding fathers and the direction our nation as a whole took once it gained its freedom. I hope it is the direction your life is taking as well!
Philip. 3:14 (KJV)
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.
By the way, how do you think character is developed? Do you think you just wake up one morning and find that character is now oozing from your pores because it's your birthday and you are a year older? Do you think it has something to do with the family you are born into or the fact that you live in the country rather than the city? Just how does character come about? Are really you sure you want to know the answer to this question??? Okay, here goes…
1) Character is developed through challenges.
Genesis 22:1 (KJV)
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and
said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
God tested Abraham, not to trip him and watch him fall, but to deepen his capacity to obey God and thus develop his character. Just as fire refines ore to extract precious metals, God refines us through difficult circumstances. When we are tested, God proves our hearts to us, reveals to us how mature we are - or aren't! Such proof is seen in our response to these testings. We can complain, or we can try to see how God is stretching us to develop our character. Feel like you've been stretched lately? Perhaps God has decided it's time for you to mature a little bit more! Accept the challenges that God has laid out before you and respond as Abraham did - "Behold, here I am." In other words, he was ready to grow up! Are you?
2) Character is developed through suffering.
Romans 5:3&4 (KJV)
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation
worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience hope.
Tribulation... That's one word we don't like the sound of, amen? It scares us and causes us to back away from God. But did you notice the process of maturing in the verse above? It is layer by layer that we grow in character, not all at once! You know, for first-century Christians, suffering was the rule rather than the exception! Mark it down ladies, in this life we WILL experience difficulties that can help us grow - difficulty after difficulty, developing our character layer by layer. But rather than rejecting God's maturing process, scripture says we should rejoice in sufferings - not because we like pain or deny it's tragedy, but because we know God is using life’s difficulties and even Satan’s attacks to build our character!
1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you.
You see, the problems that we run into will increase our perseverance, which in turn will strengthen our character, deepen our trust in God, and give us greater confidence about the future! Thank God for those opportunities to grow, and deal with them in His strength.
3) Character is developed by temptation.
Mark 1:12-13 (KJV)
And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was
there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the
wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
It may seem odd to you, but in this portion of scripture, we find that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness - drove Him right to the place where He would be tempted of the devil! But why?? Isn't temptation bad for us? Temptation is bad for us only when we give in to it! Therefore, we should not hate or resent times of inner testing, because through them God can also strengthen our character and teach us valuable lessons about fighting back and resisting the enemy. Certainly that is something every maturing saint needs to know how to do, amen?
1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Ladies, when you face Satan and must deal with the various temptations and turmoil he brings along with them, remember Jesus, our model for perfect character! Christ used God’s Word against Satan and won! We can do the same... If the world, the flesh, and the devil have knocked you out once, get up and face them again, and again, until you have finished with them. That is how character is made in the spiritual domain as well as in the natural. Yes, a maturing saint learns how to use the spiritual resources given him for victory and develops godly, sober-minded character even in the presence of that roaring lion who seeks to devour him!
Incidentally, did you realize every man and woman is a reflector? That is the principle upon which their character is based. You see, in your face you reflect your nationality, the country where you are from. When I ask you a question, I find out in ten seconds whether you are a Northerner, or a Southerner, or a Canadian, or an Englishman. We reflect in our very voice our country. I wonder, is your character a reflection of heaven, the country that God's children are going to dwell in forever? Are you ever mindful of that country, Christian? Do you desire better things for yourself than this world has to offer? Do you desire more character? Is there evidence in your character today that your life is built upon the right foundation?
Hebrews 11:14-16 (KJV)
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came
out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire
a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to
be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
I hope that you understand a little better that character is achieved through much hardness and not simply received; it is not obtained instantly. It is formed as we learn to cherish godly principles and to submit to self-discipline. Character is the sum total of all the little decisions, the small deeds, our regular response to the call of duty, the daily reactions to the choices that confront us. It is a distant goal to which there is no shortcut! And it must be valued above all else. Character grows out of the substance of a man’s soul and is a reflection of a heart filled with a genuine desire toward maturing in the Lord. It grows with use and exercise. If you have been resisting the hard things in life, those challenges put before you, the sufferings that have come your way, the testings of your desires - you have been opposing character training at the hand of God! Why would we be so foolish as to forsake opportunities to become more like Christ? As believers, we must live in the character of our Savior. We must want spiritual freedom, not merely for our own sake, but for God’s sake as well! A credible message needs a credible messenger.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
