Developing Our Christian Character
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" - Micah 6:8
As I pondered this verse, I thought about the human condition that, by carnal nature, we do not like rules or requirements. However, the Word of God does speak to us of many rules and requirements. We know there are requirements of the New Birth, the fulfillment of Acts 2 in our own lives, as some would say 'how to become a Christian.' But the Bible also speaks to the requirements of the Christian lifestyle, or in other words, how to stay a Christian AND grow deeper in Christ.
I would submit to you today that while this is a life long process, the key to growing in Christ begins with developing your Christian Character. Developing your character is not likely an overnight change. For most it is a process that will be slow starting, but it is a life long process for all. We must never stop growing.
First of all, I believe that our character is birthed out of what we feed ourselves. For this reason it is very important to have a strong spiritual diet of both personal and family devotion time. By devotion, I mean time of prayer and time of studying scripture. It is from this precious time, that we develop the Christian character that God would like us to have.
In reading our verse, I see the staples of Christian character; the things that God requires of us. To Do Justly: To act toward both God and man according to the standards of righteousness, Godliness and holiness as revealed in scripture. To Love Mercy: To show a compassionate warm-heartedness toward man, modeling behavior that fosters forgiveness, safety and peace within the confines of scripture. To Walk Humbly With Your God: Keeping God first, others second and self last, thus displaying selfless service and Christ-like humility.
I truly believe that if we as individuals develop these staples of Christian character in our lives, not only will we grow in God, but we will grow others around us in Him as well. So friends, I challenge us to grow together in our Christian walk in 2014.
-TRP
