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“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” – Galatians 5:22-23.
A simple search in Google on character yields thousands of books, speeches, and quotes. Historically, philosophers, educators, politicians, religious leaders, judges, and the general public have agreed that character should be valued and reinforced. But character — the aggregate of moral qualities by which a person is judged apart from intelligence, competence, or unique talents — seems obsolete. Not many people talk about it, let alone work at it. And too often, the media is filled with stories of character flaws of people we have put on pedestals. Character flaws are not limited to others. We are all a mixture of both good and bad, and we make missteps.
God cares about character, so much so that it could be said that the Bible is a character textbook. It is filled with instructions on what it means to live righteously. The life of Christ teaches us great practical character lessons. Despite difficult circumstances and times of severe difficulty, Jesus was the epitome of love, kindness, and gentleness.
One of the great lessons Jesus taught His followers is that a man’s or woman’s character is always a matter of what is in his or her heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, Above all else, guard “your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 21:2 says, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.” And 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, …He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts…”
God is always attempting to get us to change our character. We must do what we can today to conform to His image, the image of Jesus Christ. As believers and representatives of God on earth, we need to be people of integrity and character. A person of integrity does right in all areas of life, one who can be trusted. True character is built on our inner values and consistent actions, even when no one is watching, and striving to live with integrity, honesty, and kindness reflects our faith and relationship with God. Our character demonstrates our commitment to living a life that aligns with His principles, doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult, and being dependable in all situations.
Discussion Questions:
- In what areas of your life do you need to intentionally focus on building stronger character?