Character Matters
For whatever reason, character is something that frustrates followers of Jesus. Especially when you involve scripture. I remember having a conversation with someone about it and they argued that scripture isn’t a book of what to do and what not to do, but serves as a story about a man that we all need. My question to them was simply, what if the scriptures were a collections of words given for a people about a man that they all need and how it should affect their lives? He walked away with aggravation. Do you all need to know about God? Absolutely! Does it affect our lives? Absolutely! I’ll say it this way, what we know about God affects how we live.
Paul shares in Colossians 3.12-17: “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Because we know God, his word shapes our character. What we know is about God affects how we live for him. God empowers Paul to share with us that we must:
- Display Godly Fruit.
Colossians 3.12-14 says that we must Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Your character is the qualities that make up who you are and listen, that Character is influenced and developed by our choices.
A person’s character is the sum of his or her disposition, thoughts, intentions, desires, and actions. It is good to remember that character is gauged by general tendencies, not on the basis of a few isolated actions. It’s not just something that you do every now and then. It’s who you are. It’s how you live on a daily basis. It what you practice.
Christians often fail to produce Godly fruit because they try to change solely by breaking bad habits. However, fruit that lasts will not take place until one replaces the bad fruit with godly fruit.
2. Display peaceful behavior
Colossians 3:15 says And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called
in one body.
Everything in our lives as followers of Christ must be birthed from a posture of peace. Why? Because it is peace that should rule our hearts. Peace isn’t a thing but rather peace is a person. Jesus Christ is our peace (Ephesians 2), therefore he must rule our hearts. Everything that we do should be to bring glory to Him.
3. Dwell in the Word
Colossians 3:16 declares this… Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
How do you manage your time? How’s your devotional time? It does little good if Christians declare and defend the truth, but fail to demonstrate it in their lives. There are some Christians who will defend the truth at the drop of a hat, but their personal lives deny the doctrines they profess to love. When we dwell in the work, not only do we learn doctrine, but we live it. When you know the truth, it’s too good not to rest on it.
How can you keep your way pure? By guarding it with the word of God.
As followers of Jesus, we are Christ representatives. We must remember that whatever we do, in word or deed, we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. We are to act consistently with who He is and what He wants. Everything that we do should point to Him.
Your character is shaped by what you watch, what you listen to and even who you hang around. How are you spending your time? Who are you spending your time with? What are you doing with what’s in your hands? Know this… what you know about God affects how you love for God. Character matters.
