"Be of Good Character"

Reflections4Lif™ February 2, 2020

“Be of Good Character”

“ A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life. Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.” Proverbs 11:4-6

Scripture Contemplation: Proverbs 8;11; 20; Matthew 7:15-20; Matthew 13; 1 Timothy 4; 2 Peter 1

©Ruthe McDonald.

How would you define your character? How would others define your character? Often times we see ourselves in an obscured light. But, when we have Christ on the inside, and we yield to His character, our character becomes of a reflection of that which resides within our hearts. God desires that we be of good character. That, we walk in righteousness and allow Christ in us to live.

I decree that this week's Reflections will be a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart, mind, and soul. Allow God to lead you, and allow Christ within to shine without. Let your character be above reproach. Be diligent in your word. Allow people to see Christ in you, so that they may want to know Him, too.

We fall short often. We proclaim that we are children of God; believers of the word; that we walk in the love of Christ. Yet, many of us have characters that leave a lot to be desired. Can we be honest with each other? Can we tell the truth and shame the devil—as the old folks would say? There are many of us saying that we love the Lord with all our hearts. That, we are believers in the body of Christ. Yet, our character sucks! There...I said it! Some of us have characters that leave a lot to be desired. And we do not look anything or sound anything like Christ—who we profess to love and represent.

There was a time when we would be in church, and we were shining lights of the goodness and character of Jesus, then waited until we were outside of the church to act a fool. Now, even in the church, we are acting less than Christ-like. We are displaying characters that are far from what God would call righteous or holy or Christ-like. We are mean and bitter towards one another. We harbor ill-will and hold un-forgiveness like a badge of honor. Where did we get off track?

Our character must be one above reproach. When we say we are believers; when we say we love the Lord; when we say we want to attract all that is good, and righteous, and holy; then we must be first in representing that which we desire to receive from others. We must be who we say we are. 
 

There are far too many imposters running around claiming that they know the Lord and represent Him. There are wolves in sheep clothing coming to fleece the flock. There are imposters posing as true believers and lovers of God and the word, just to steal, kill, and rob the children of God, and destroy those who are seeking to know God. It is easy for many of them to slip in unnoticed, because too many of us that believe in the Lord, have accepted Christ as our Savior, have been living a lie. We, ourselves, have not totally surrendered to God. We have not yielded our all to the Father. We have been living as the Laodiceans—lukewarm. Our character has been less than godly. We have not honored our word to others, to God, to ourselves. We have been poor representations of Christ. And because of this, we have created open doors for the enemy to slip in.

If we, who say we love the Lord, behave in such a manner that is unbecoming and far from the character of Christ; how can we possibly be a shining light for those who need the Lord? For those that are seeking the Father? For those who are on the brink of losing their very life? 
 

How many times have we heard people say: If that's what it means to be a Christian, I don't want any parts of it! I know I have many times. Why? Because many of us who call ourselves believers are not living the word. Our character leaves much to be desired. We are not representing the Father.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 (ASV) “Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. Awake to soberness righteously, and sin not; for some have no knowledge of God: I speak this to move you to shame.”

Matthew 5:13-14 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.”

We must be of good character. Character in the Bible is synonymous with righteousness. When we walk in righteousness, not with a righteous attitude—there is a difference—we are exemplifying the light of Christ. We are allowing Christ to live in us. We are seeking to please the Lord and to live a life that is holy and acceptable unto God. Walking in righteousness is submitting all to the Father, and walking this path that will draw others in, and allow us to witness of the goodness of God. We are not judgmental, contentious, back-biting, unforgiving; but we are loving, understanding, forgiving, and uncompromising, and keepers of our word. We seek and strive to walk in integrity at all times.

It It is imperative that we understand that our character says a lot about who we are and who we represent. Often times we profess one thing with our mouths, but our actions are speaking something totally different. For those of us who truly say we love the Lord, and that we represent Him, we must truly live it. There are far too many coming in the name of God, who is not of God, while those of us who say we truly love the Lord, have not been living a life that is acceptable to God. We have been lukewarm in our faith and in our relationship. Because of this, the enemy has been able to come in and wreak havoc on many souls.

It is time to stand up. To stand in righteousness. To repent, confess, and do what God has called us to do. It is time to not only speak the word but live it and become the word. To, allow the Christ in us to live, so that we may draw others to Him, and see them receive all that God has ordained for them. We often forget: we may be the only Jesus that some may ever see. So...what is your life saying?

My Beloved, I decree that the spirit of peace and of prosperity has found permanent rest in your lives. Be of good character. Represent the Father well. Be the light that leads many to the throne of grace. Be the salt that adds flavor to the life of many. Be the ambassadors of Christ that represent Him well, in love, light, and truth. The ball is in your court. You are blessed. Now go...and be a blessing.

©2020. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.