Author: kezha1

“Just as water reflects our outward appearance like a mirror, so the thoughts of our hearts reveal our inner nature and character.” (Proverbs 27:19) For as it’s clearly illustrated throughout Scriptures, our hearts are deceitful, full of evil, and the basis of our corrupt mind and will. Thus, to have Godly character, we must allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word in order that we can hear, receive, and properly understand the message to reshape our hearts. By directing our hearts in the Way, the Holy Spirit can wash our hearts from evil (Jeremiah 4:14)… (actually giving us a new heart and spirit, Ezekiel 18:31)…so that our hearts can firmly trust in the Lord. (Psalm 112:7)

Throughout Scriptures we are warned about the dangers of arrogance, pride, and self-promotion. A haughty spirit pushes its agenda…refusing to listen and unabashedly thrusting its superiority onto others. But Jesus was very forthright about exalting God and not ourselves in Matthew 23:12 and Luke 14:11, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” So the key to Godly character, when it comes to humility, is again to look to Jesus Christ as the example for us to follow. Philippians 2:5-7 tells us that Jesus is the supreme example of humility. For He did not exploit His Deity for personal gain or capitalize on the privileges that were always His. Jesus also never exercised His Deity at the expense of His people, rather humbly acting only for their benefit. So Godly character doesn’t self-promote…it allows God to do the honoring… or as Proverbs 18:12 tells us, “Humility comes before honor.”

Ephesians 4:2 tells us that we are to walk in a manner worthy of the call, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another. But too many times, our conversations are anything but meek. We want to get our point/opinion/belief across and don’t care how it may effect the other person. But we don’t realize that our words have the power to either build up or destroy relationships… either calming or inflaming the situation. (Proverbs 15:1 & Proverbs 29:22) Godly character then is full of the meekness and gentleness of Christ as we demonstrate to others His kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

I John 4:7 tells us, “Let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” This shows us that the love of God the Father for His only Son, Jesus Christ, is the source of love that binds the fellowship of Believers together as a family. By giving us His Son, Jesus, God shows us what perfect love is. So in order to reflect this perfect love in our own character we must remember that perfect love is without boundaries…goes outside church walls…and is blind to difficult relationships. That goes for uncomfortable connections with enemies, (Luke 6:35) disagreements with neighbors, (Romans 13:9) and even awkward dealings with relatives. ( I Timothy 5:8) Thus, loving Godly character is colorblind, unbiased, and nonjudgmental in all the relationships we’ll ever find ourselves involved in.

This phrase made me think of Chapter 6 in the Book of Daniel. Daniel served in a high position under King Darius, which caused a lot of jealously among the other officials. These corrupt satraps looked for dirt on Daniel…but couldn’t find anything against his character… even to the point of reluctantly affirming his moral integrity, upright character, and faithfulness to his God. (Daniel 6:5) But still they looked for a way to malign him, so they deceived King Darius into issuing an edict forbidding any prayers other than to the king for 30 days. Which leads us to Daniel 6:10, ” Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” It shows that Godly character doesn’t change with circumstances or situations – whether public or private. (Psalm 101:2)

Our character should glorify God as we journey through life. Our desire should be to live and act honorably, with respect and regard for others. For careless words such as lies, gossip, and insults do not glorify God. (Matthew 12:36) Neither do evil thoughts that fill our hearts and minds . (Matthew 15:19) And faithless deeds are useless (James 2:20)…for when we believe that we are justified by a kind of faith that produces no works, we are embracing the heresy of antinomianism. (A big word coined by Martin Luther during the Reformation that means we believe that there are no moral laws that God expects us to follow.) The opposite of this is placing our confidence in our good works to get us to heaven without any faith in Jesus Christ…neither being the Godly character we should be emulating to others daily.

II Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is the Father of compassion. And just like new clothes, we are to put on His character of compassion, encouragement and consolation. This is echoed in Colossians 3:12 which urges all Believers to “clothe yourselves with compassion.” For when we are covered with Christ’s example, what people see is sympathy & empathy shining forth, not judgment. And this then allows us to care for those whose lives are hurting and broken without criticism. For Godly character is merciful without prejudice.

Over the coming days we’re going to delve into what makes up a virtuous character. That’s because, it’s the foundational character of a person that establishes their actions…for it’s what we do when no one is watching. Our character is ethical traits and moral conduct taught to us by our parents and other trusted people as we’re growing up. And as adults, we learn the hard way that we can’t trust someone solely on the basis of their outward appearance…for there’s so much more to us when it comes to our reputation, decency, and integrity. Noble character is lauded in Proverbs 12:4 & Proverbs 31:10 as being above excellence, and a person who can be trusted completely without question. We should then be striving for Jesus-like character above everything else in the world today.

This verse encourages us to persevere in the face of challenges and discouragements that arise while doing good deeds. But when those actions become a daily, never ending drudgery…a toiling into the future that will only increase in difficultly, it’s so easy to become discouraged. So how can we not only turn our selfish despair around but inspire others in the process? It starts by knowing what God’s Word says…Isaiah 50:4 tells us that His Word sustains the weary, supporting those in need, even amidst opposition and fatigue. And we can also then look to Jesus for guidance and comfort, Who said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This invitation of His is filled with hope, love, and peace…and is an encouragement to come as we are…tired, broken, and overwhelmed…as He offers us the rest our soul so desperately needs.

This passage is more than just wise counsel from the Lord. It’s a call to action, a moral compass to follow, and a summary of what righteous living as a Believer in this broken world should look like. These three divine requirements – justice, mercy, and humility – cover our relationship with others, that we might conduct ourselves with kindness, fairness, and tender affection one for another. It then becomes a quiet lifestyle where we give full acknowledgement to God in every aspect of our personal actions…no matter who we’re dealing with.