CHARACTER

What is the key to becoming a person of strong character?

God's Response:
The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
Job 17:19

If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3:13

Endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope and salvation.
Romans 5:4

Our Takeaway:
God is not pleased with spurts of religiosity. Building strong character takes a lifetime of consistent obedience. Heroic spiritual lives are built one obedient act at a time, act upon act, day upon day. Like the bricks in a building, each instance of obedience may seem small at the time, but as those "bricks" pile up, a great wall of strong spiritual character - and a great defense against temptation... will result.

If you want your life to be evidenced by strong character, strive for consistent obedience each day.

God's Challenge:
I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever.
Psalm 119:44

Big T's Thought To Ponder:
One of the most beautiful things I am beginning to discover about "abiding in Christ" is that, as we remain In Christ and as we are guided by and through the Holy Spirit to an obedient and submissive state, we become in touch and in union with His Will for our lives . We don't ever have to concern ourselves with developing our own character, because His perfect character will permeate us and flow through us as His finished work is complete in us.
Colossians 2:9-10

Scripture tells us to abide in Christ, just as a branch connects to a vine. Believers who abide in Christ, no longer exist for themselves, but rather live for Him. It seems when we cease striving after righteousness and instead, come into Him and allow Him to live out His life in and through us in this intimate relationship, we become like two branches of one tree- intertwined and as one with each other. It is in this closeness and bond that the strength, love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and all the Divine characteristics that characterize our Savior Jesus Christ, become ours.
John 15:1-17

As we give ourselves completely over to Him, our entire being, and become complete In Christ, He conforms our thoughts to His will and purpose. Our minds and bodies are transformed for service in His Kingdom, "for the good works that were prepared for beforehand".
Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:1-2

Too often, we lose track of who is in complete control of our lives; the one who is our single-source-solution-provider of all things, and who it is that makes us complete-yes even our character is made complete in Him.