We start our third purpose in this chapter and that is to develop Christ-like character. I've grown so much spiritually in reading about the third purpose. Again, we are reminded that it's not about us. We were put on this earth to serve God's purposes for us. I heard a young man give a testimony where he said in the new year, he hopes that we use God's talent to where WE are satisfied with it. It broke my heart. It really did because I realized that he was looking at it from the wrong perspective and had it upside down. It's not about us. It's all about Him.
Point to Ponder: I was created to become like Christ.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
In what area of my life must I ask for the Spirit's power to be like Christ today?
Verse to remember: "As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more." 2 Corinthians 3:18
My response:
This chapter begins our examination about developing Christ-like character. It says that our character is just the sum of our habits. I couldn't agree more. I had an old football coach who said we should practice like we play. He said all the bad habits we pick up during practice will manifest itself during games. And sure enough, the penalties, missed assignments and mental errors that occurred during practice all surfaced during games. So we had to practice just like it was a real game.
And that's what character development is. Practicing good character starts with the seemingly small stuff. If you take care of the small stuff, the big stuff will come naturally. If you're honest about the smallest details, you'll be honest in the biggest things. Practicing good habits begins early.
Another important lesson is God is more interested i what you are and not in what you do. When we meet people, we always ask what they do and then we make a preliminary judgment about them based on what they did. A doctor? Wow, they must be smart. A garbage man? If he only studied harder in school. But God doesn't care what we do, He only cares about how we act. Doesn't matter if you're the most successful person in the world, but if you have no integrity, it doesn't matter. If you have no love, mercy, if you aren't humble, it won't matter what you do. Godly character comes with practice. Start now.
My character is a work in progress. It may not always be positive progress, I regress and backslide sometimes; but it is my desire to be more like Jesus.
ReplyDeletePaul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, when we give our lives to Jesus, we become "a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This chapter says we have to let go of our old ways, change how we think, and develop new and godly habits.
I always thought that as a new person in Christ, people would not recognize you for your will have a 100% transformation. But this chapter said it doesn't necessarily mean you will lose your personality. I believe God has given us our personality. Your personality are the qualities that make you different from others. Character is the sum of your habits.
For me, I need to work on developing these godly habits. I like how the chapter points out the difference between personality and character. It is harder to see what areas of my personality I need to work on, but as I think of my character, I am able to point out habits on which I need to work.
As I read this chapter, I feel so thankful and blessed that I have a loving God, one of second chances and is always there to take me as I am.
Be blessed :O)
I can relate to what you're saying. As a 'new creation' in Christ, I sometimes hold back from being my old self with friends for fear of them saying, 'see he hasn't changed, still the same old Al.' But what I must realize is that my personality is the same, but my mindset has changed. I still love the Longhorns, follow politics with a passion and love spending playing cards with my buddies. My mind and heart are transformed, not my personality. I still have the same sense of humor and love going to the movies.
ReplyDeleteI used to fear that if I committed my life to Christ, then I had to change my whole life. I've found that not to be true. I'm still the same person, but with a renewed attitude and mindset. Whereas I would literally be depressed for days when the Longhorns lost a big game, it's not life or death anymore. Whereas I would set everything aside and go spend time with my friends, now my family are a priority. I guess you can call it spiritual maturity.