Character: The Final Frontier

Wednesday September 14, 2011

Today's Passage> Exodus 2: 11-25
Memory Verse> Exodus 2: 14

Character: the final "Christian" frontier. Character is defined as qualities of honesty, courage, integrity, and the like. God has given us all character. In Genesis chapter 1, God made man in His image and gave Him His nature (character). He literally intended for us to be a reflection of Him. Imagine that....

I called character the final Christian frontier earlier for two reasons. Let's start with the flesh. The flesh, as it relates to the world, is a character-changer. It often seeks to be comfortable and validated. It's always reluctant to endure hardness. It wants what it wants, and it wants it right now. It doesn't love who and what doesn't love it, and it only looks after itself. The problem with this is it's the polar opposite of the character of God. Next, events of our lives (good or bad) are character-changers. Some have gone through horrific tragedies in life. Those tragedies, however, have shaped the way they view life. They've created beliefs and attitudes that aren't rational or productive. These effects of these events change God's design of character for those who've endured them. Here's the good news, broken pasts, bad choices, and traumatic events do not have the power to change God's plan for us to be like Him.

There....I said it. The enemy wants us to think that our brokenness and sin prohibits us from being in relationship with God. In a way, he's right, but not completely. Jesus, God's only begotten Son, was crucified and rose from the dead. And if we accept Him as our Savior, His resurrection will raise up our destiny in God. Isn't that awesome? So if someone were to ask you what role does your character play in preparing you for destiny, tell them it plays the biggest role. How? If your character is patterned after the world, there is no destiny (just wandering). If your character, however, is patterned after God, the sky is literally the limit (praise break)!

Prayer: Father, my life is Yours. I declare that my character shall be patterned after Yours -- your love, Your grace, Your peace, Your strength, and everything that shows the world that You live on the inside of me. Take over, Lord. All I want is You, and You are free to live big in me. Get all the glory out of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.