DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTER/ Chapter 3
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
In the beginning of our storyline, we found ourselves much weaker than we thought we were, and in fact, it was our understanding of our situation and the fact that we were too weak to save ourselves that brought us to ask God for help. That having been said after we came to Christ and asked for His mercy and love, and received His salvation, we then started to learn of the many different pitfalls and traps that this world had been laying for us all along.
Some people struggle with these things for the rest of their lives because they do not realize what it takes to move on or grow further in Christ's Spirit. For many of us, there is a constant urging to move closer to God and yet we cannot do so unless we get involved in the process of growth. For some, that process is very difficult to deal with because of different sin relationships they have come from or might even still be stuck in because of generational sins or because they just have been convinced they were" born this way". I want for you to know that each one of these things we call excuses is lies that are told to you by this world. Each one of these things in some way deals with the character of who we are in the present. God, on the other hand, is calling us toward a change in that character and in the general make-up of who we are before we will ever fit into the Kingdom of Heaven.
We must remember that our growth is not in the hands of Jesus, but is directly involved in our seeking after Him and obeying the things that we can understand and practice. With our salvation, we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us a new drive and inclination to obey God's word. You see our character is not built upon the law of Moses but upon the Spirit of Christ flowing through us. It is one thing for us to stand and hold out our arms to God saying " change me" and seeing the need for us to work alongside the Holy Spirit to actively participate in changing our base character to fit into the Kingdom of Heaven. To be honest, there are a ton of Christians today whom I would not want to be with for all eternity with the character flaws I see, and I realize that both they and I have to change before we will be as one mind and one heart in the eyes of God. I do not believe that someday God will zap us and perfect us to think and feel the same. I think we have a great part in the development of that kind of unity. I believe this is an area that we had better get right or the result will be very disappointing for many church people.
It is time to ask ourselves some rather unsettling questions about our character; things like what are we trying so desperately to hide from one another? Why do we insist on separating ourselves from fellowship with so many others who claim Christ? What is it that is really inside of us that causes us to not open up to one another to be able to share our victories, hurts, or failures? Can we really say that we are loving one another as we love ourselves? These are all a part of the development of our character in Christ that changes us from who we are into a new creature in Christ, but it does not take place in the twinkling of an eye. I pray that each of us can take to heart a part of what God is telling us. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
In the beginning of our storyline, we found ourselves much weaker than we thought we were, and in fact, it was our understanding of our situation and the fact that we were too weak to save ourselves that brought us to ask God for help. That having been said after we came to Christ and asked for His mercy and love, and received His salvation, we then started to learn of the many different pitfalls and traps that this world had been laying for us all along.
Some people struggle with these things for the rest of their lives because they do not realize what it takes to move on or grow further in Christ's Spirit. For many of us, there is a constant urging to move closer to God and yet we cannot do so unless we get involved in the process of growth. For some, that process is very difficult to deal with because of different sin relationships they have come from or might even still be stuck in because of generational sins or because they just have been convinced they were" born this way". I want for you to know that each one of these things we call excuses is lies that are told to you by this world. Each one of these things in some way deals with the character of who we are in the present. God, on the other hand, is calling us toward a change in that character and in the general make-up of who we are before we will ever fit into the Kingdom of Heaven.
We must remember that our growth is not in the hands of Jesus, but is directly involved in our seeking after Him and obeying the things that we can understand and practice. With our salvation, we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us a new drive and inclination to obey God's word. You see our character is not built upon the law of Moses but upon the Spirit of Christ flowing through us. It is one thing for us to stand and hold out our arms to God saying " change me" and seeing the need for us to work alongside the Holy Spirit to actively participate in changing our base character to fit into the Kingdom of Heaven. To be honest, there are a ton of Christians today whom I would not want to be with for all eternity with the character flaws I see, and I realize that both they and I have to change before we will be as one mind and one heart in the eyes of God. I do not believe that someday God will zap us and perfect us to think and feel the same. I think we have a great part in the development of that kind of unity. I believe this is an area that we had better get right or the result will be very disappointing for many church people.It is time to ask ourselves some rather unsettling questions about our character; things like what are we trying so desperately to hide from one another? Why do we insist on separating ourselves from fellowship with so many others who claim Christ? What is it that is really inside of us that causes us to not open up to one another to be able to share our victories, hurts, or failures? Can we really say that we are loving one another as we love ourselves? These are all a part of the development of our character in Christ that changes us from who we are into a new creature in Christ, but it does not take place in the twinkling of an eye. I pray that each of us can take to heart a part of what God is telling us. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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