Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
--Philippians 1:27
Character is something you can’t fake or manufacture on the spot. We can try to cover up and act like someone we really aren’t, but it doesn’t work. In fact, Jesus called the fake and pious masks that people wear hypocrisy.
I’ve been a pastor for over 45 years, and I’ve met many people who claimed to be righteous men and women of character. But the truth always comes out sooner or later, because life has a way of revealing what we really are on the inside.
That’s why if you’re a person of solid Christian character, your life will ring true.
Have you ever wondered what happens to people who seem to have this very sudden fall from grace as they get caught up in sinful and immoral behavior? The truth is that the fall was probably not all that sudden. Instead, it was probably the culmination of a long line of small compromises that were made in secret before the problem ever became public knowledge.
That’s why personal character is such a big issue. One small compromise can lead to another, which in turn leads to another, and so on. Eventually, these small lapses in character turn into a full-fledged scandal.
Our lives are to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ attractive to others, and one of the best ways to do that is to exhibit true Christ-like character. This means we need to pay attention to how we live each day, since character is not something you can pick up quickly when you need it; it’s a way of life you develop and keep.
Commit to be a person of solid Christ-like character!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:57–58
The Christian life is not meant to be a life of ease where nothing ever goes wrong. It is a life of work, labor, sacrifice, and effort. We constantly face challenges and are tempted to indulge in discouragement and complaining. There are days when we may wonder, like Elijah, if we are the only ones left who are being faithful. There are days when we may feel, like Gideon, that we have been given an impossible task. There are days when we weep like Hannah when it seems our greatest desires will never be realized.
But on every day, regardless of our circumstances, we should be faithful in our service. And God calls us to be abounding—overflowing—not just doing the bare minimum required to get by. Many times we are tempted to complain and gripe about the obstacles we face. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Christ does not say, ‘Murmur at your cross.’ That is the very reverse of taking it up. As long as a man is alive, and out of hell, he cannot have any cause to complain. Be he where he may,—be he placed in the most abject position conceivable,—the man is better off than he deserves to be. Let not a single murmur, then, ever escape our lips.”
When we complain, we reveal a lack of faith in the rewards that God has promised. The writer of Hebrews, after listing many great men and women of faith concludes, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise” (Hebrews 11:39). The fact that we may never in this life receive rewards does not mean God will fail to see our work bear fruit.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The knowledge that God sees and rewards our faithful service keeps us going strong for Him
|
No comments:
Post a Comment