When we think of a person who has good moral character, we often describe them as having integrity, strong family values, and being honest in their dealings. We think of them as being caring and having genuine concern for others. Moral character is defined as ideal beliefs and values that make a person beneficial to everyone around them. This is a person that respects others and doesn’t have characteristics that would cause them to be harmful to society. A person with good moral character displays it in their actions and day to day living. Jesus Christ teaches in Luke 6:44 that a tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. From this we can understand that a person with good moral character does more than just talk, their actions demonstrate the true character of their hearts. Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should strive to achieve this standard in their lives.
Christian character begins with faith in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, this is the defining mark of anyone that truly believes in our Master and Redeemer. Ephesians 5:1-2(NLT) instructs, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” Jesus Christ is the subject of the Bible from beginning to end. God wants us to know that His beloved and only begotten Son is the blueprint of our design. As we learn about Jesus and begin to practice what he taught, our lives are transformed, and this is what God wants. In Romans 12:2(NLT), He tells us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
God wants what is best for us, and the discipline to live the way Christ lived is the absolute best, but many of us think that our way is best. God's Word tells us that the spiritual discipline of Christ is necessary for training in righteousness; it helps us grow in love. It also prompts us to behave and do things that we may not normally do. For instance, it’s not always easy to forgive those that have hurt you or treated you badly in the past, but God commands us to forgive because this is what He does. He forgave our sins and gave His son to die for them. He showed us through the sacrifice of Christ that He will not withhold any good thing from us, but through Christ, He has freely given us all things. As His children, He expects that we will not harbor resentment and bitterness but learn to love others by following the example of love that Christ has set.
Ephesians 6:6 tells us to do the Will of God with all our hearts. This means that we must be humble and recognize that God knows exactly what He’s doing. He will only tell us to do what is right, moral, just, and excellent because this is what He does. He’s telling us to put His Word in our hearts so that we will have good moral character that is drenched in His love, then our actions will mirror what is in our hearts. This is the way to continually flow in God’s blessings.
We can become so focused on our own plans and agendas that we forget we are God’s children and we have been called to fulfill God’s purpose. Throughout scripture, God the Father teaches and leads us. Hebrews 13:21(NLT) record’s the Apostle Paul’s prayer for others, it says, “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.” This should be our prayer and we must pray it without ceasing. God is working in us to do His Will, and to partner with Him, we must keep our hearts anchored in His goodness, and study His Word, so that like Christ, we introduce God’s light with all that we do.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Character of a Believer”, written by Penny Brown, edited by F Mack for Springfield Fellowship, Inc.©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Comments