Introduction
This is week two of a four week series designed to address or explore the idea of what it looks like to converse with a hurting world
Character: What is it? How do we develop it? Is it important?
The concept of becoming a man or a woman of character has nothing to do with cancer or poverty or earthquakes, but it has everything to do with fractured relationships, broken homes, hurting friendships and so much more
Two Definitions of Character-
For any normal person: “Character is the will to do what’s right, regardless of the cost”
For a Christian: “Character is the will to do what’s right, as God defines right, regardless of the cost”
How do we get to the point where the “right” thing becomes, more often than not, the thing that we do?
Your heavenly father and my heavenly father has given us, not just some architectural blueprints on how to build character, but through the person of Jesus Christ, has given us a living, breathing, six foot whatever relationship model of what he means when he talks about character
Old Testament- Character was all two-dimensional. It was men and women reading a script and trying to act out something or become somebody that God wanted them to be
New Testament- God gives us a tangible, living, breathing model of character through the person of Jesus Christ, as He defines character
Romans 8:29
Very simply, God’s plan for your life and my life is that we would become like Jesus. God’s plan for your life is that you would be conformed not externally, but internally to the same mold or image of Jesus
If the model is imitating Jesus, the model is broken
Unwillingness is not the problem, incompetency is the problem
The problem is not commitment either
Time and commitment cannot solve the problem of our inability to become the men and women that we want to be and god calls us to be
The excuse- “You’re just gonna have to accept me the way that I am”; We don’t accept that from each other, nor does God accept that from us.
Not only have I given you the model (Jesus), I’m gonna give you the tools and the means to an end, and a way of life and a way of thinking to develop the character of Jesus in your life
John 15:5
The simple mechanism for producing unwavering integrity in your life is abiding. Nothing else. Simple abiding.
Three ways to “stay close”:
Make the transition from a religious habit to a relationship orientated obsession: The key is immersion, and orientating your life around the sole purpose of convening with God regularly
Focus on association, not imitation: Our only responsibility it to stay close, and allow Jesus to produce fruit
Adopt the attitude that “I can’t…but He can through me”: The mindset is an intentional choice
The cards-
In that space you have an opportunity to write as a reminder to yourself, about an area in your life that you’ve tried to change and you can’t do it. And essentially you’re saying, “God I can’t manufacture whatever it is, I need you to produce it through me.”
I know the kind of fruit I’m capable of producing, and it doesn’t suffice
The model is Jesus, the method is abiding
No comments:
Post a Comment