ABC's of Godly Character - M

M is for Maturity! Are you a mature or immature person? Christian Maturity is something that develops with time. It is a process that begins when a person accepts Jesus as their Savior. The Apostle Paul said that spiritual growth is an ongoing process in Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In order for Christian maturity to develop in our life, we must make a choice to learn God's Word, allow God to renew our mind, and then be obedient to what we learn. Romans 12:1-2 says, "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” As we mature, we should learn to walk obediently with God. It is making a choice to live by God’s ways instead of the world’s ways. Step by step, day by day we must deliberately make a choice to choose the right path. It won’t be easy. We will have growing pains, but reaching maturity is worth the battle. We mature by choosing to apply God's Word in everyday circumstances. As we walk step by step, applying God's Word to our life, we will grow spiritually. Are we at the same place in our relationship with God as what we were when we first got saved? Can we look at our life, or can others and see that we are more in love with Jesus today? I can look back on my life and see growth. When I was a child my “Bible reading” was when I was in Sunday School or when my parents done devotions with us. As a teen, I started reading my Bible more on my own. My Mom and I would read the Bible aloud across the hallway to each other and say our prayers before we fell asleep in our beds each night. Then I decided to read the whole Bible for myself. It took me almost 2 years but I done it—2 years meant that I only read it about 10 minutes a day. Was that my best? Was 10 minutes a day all I could give to my God, my Savior? Mature…I think not! Now I am so in love with God’s Word that I want to read it again and again. I learn something new each time I read it. Just reading it to say I have done it isn’t growth, though, we must want to apply and learn from what we read. Reading it to check it off a list or to say we have read through it "x" number of times may not mean we are absorbing it and learning to apply it.  A couple of years ago I read through the Bible twice in one year, does that mean I am mature now? No, we never totally mature in our Christian faith. We always have room to improve. I can tell you, the more time you spend studying God’s Word, the more you will want to do it. So let me ask you some Spiritual Growth questions. Is reading your Bible a “want to” or a “have to” decision? How often do you pray? Do you ever read your Bible besides when studying for Sunday School or church? Do you study your Sunday School lesson? Do you pay attention in church and try to learn or are you busy on your phone, clipping your fingernails, or sleeping? Have you ever read a whole chapter of the Bible? What about a whole book of the Bible? What about all 4 Gospels? Have you ever read all of God’s Word? Take time to honestly evaluate your Christian Maturity. Do you enjoy God's Word? Are you still milk fed like a baby or are your growing? Spiritual maturity should be a priority for us. "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrews 5:13-14). As a believer, we are not to always be milk-fed. Instead, we are called to chew on the "meat" of God's Word. Discover God's truth by in-depth Bible study and feed ourselves spiritually.

Prayer starter: Dear Lord, please help me to grow in my Spiritual Maturity. Help me to put away childish behavior in my life and mature in my relationship with You. Help me to fall more in love with Your Word. Help me develop more of a desire to learn about You and to talk to You. Help me press on and continue growing more like You every day of my life.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to set a goal of how much time you are going to spend reading God’s Word and in prayer. Work on your growth process today! You are responsible to make a choice! Will you choose to use and apply God's Word to your life?

ABC's of Godly Character - L

L is for Love! Love is NOT a feeling or something we fall in and out of. Love is reserved for ONLY God and people – not for stuff.

How many times do we abuse the word love?!?..."Oh, I love your outfit!" I love that car", "That movie was great, our family loved it!" We are to love God and people not objects! Once I felt convicted about my misuse of the word "love" my sons even picked up on it and now we all try not to use it unless referring to people or God, and maybe our dog...he is family too! We cannot ever truly love someone until we have the love of Christ in us. The Bible commands us to love God above all else and then to love others. Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love has nothing to do with how you feel. Love is a command given to us by God. Love is a decision that requires unconditional commitment. The Bible is full of scriptures about love but 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives the perfect definition of love. "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." Wow, what a definition! LOVE IS A VERB...IT IS AN ACTION!  

We must be doing something to demonstrate love. Do you have patience with others? While you're thinking about that also ask yourself if you are envious of others? What about pride? Pride is something all of us struggle with on some level. Pride will cause us not to admit we are wrong. Pride will even make us believe we are always right. Pride will keep us from apologizing when we have offended. Pride will even make us say, "I'm not prideful." Love is not inconsiderate or always thinking "but if I do that, what am I going to get in return?" Love is not agitated easily and it has a short memory when it comes to the sins of those who wrong us. That means we are not constantly reminding them of their past offenses. Love means we don't do a victory dance when wrong is done to others, even if we think they had it coming. Real love does not rejoice in wrong doing, it rejoices in what's right. Love puts up with everything, and still trusts, is hopeful, and enduring. Everything will someday come to an end, buy love will never end.

Prayer starter: Dear Lord, You are the perfect example of love. Help me to have Your kind of love and not the world's definition of love. Create in me a pure and loving heart that shines Your Love in this dark and sinful world. Amen.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to show Christ-like love to others. Love the unlovable today!

ABC's of Godly Character - K

K is for Kindness! Kindness is a friendly, good-natured, harmonious attitude toward others. The Bible tells us to be kind to both our friends and our enemies. Jesus taught us by His example to be kind to others. Kindness can be difficult. Kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit living in us. Galatians 5:22-23 says "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (ESV). When we are tempted to pay someone back for their unkindness to us, we need to remember that it is not our job to repay someone for his or her actions--it's God's. We need to focus on instructions.  We read in Proverbs 20:22: “Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you.” Colossians 3:12 says “Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”  

Albert Schweitzer is quoted as saying “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” 

If you are having trouble in relationships with friends, parents, teachers, co-workers, or others evaluate yourself to see if you are showing kindness in your actions and words. Ephesians 4:32 says "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." What if Christ treated you with the same kindness and forgiveness as you treated others?

Prayer starter: Dear Lord, please help me to show more kindness to others. I know I don’t always act in a way that is pleasing to you. Help me to learn to be and act more like You. I love You. I am thankful for the kindness and forgiveness you so often give me. Amen. 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to work on your kindness today. Treat others the way Christ would want you to.  

Kenya & Operation Christmas Child

This week please join Operation Christmas Child in praying for Kenya. Most people live in the fertile plateaus of the south and west. Much of the north and east is desert. Only 8.9% of the land is cultivable. Kenya has 115 people groups that speak a total of 74 languages. 48% of the population is Evangelical Christian.

Specifically,

1. Pray for the country of Kenya, especially with the teacher strikes in the schools. 
2. Pray for the commitment of the team members and for the new members as they train for their positions. 
3. Pray for the teacher and Ministry Partner trainings.
4. Praise God for opening doors for the team to share the Gospel.
5. Pray the seed of the Word of God planted in the children will bear fruit.  

Shoebox gifts collected in the United States in 2015 will be delivered to 137,496 children in Kenya. Praise God that over 661,958 children have received a shoebox since 1995, when Operation Christmas Child began distributing gifts here.

• Kenya has 45.9 million people and is located in East Africa
• 42% of the population is 14 years old or younger

 Kenya & OCC http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child-countries/kenya/

ABC's of Godly Character - J

J is for Joy! Joy is great delight caused by God who is exceptionally good or satisfying; pleasure, delight, something or someone greatly valued or appreciated; a constant state of happiness, regardless of the situation.

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart! Down in my heart to stay! Joy and happiness are different. Happiness is based on our emotions and feelings; it is affected by what is happening in our life. Joy is only available from God and should always be present in our lives. It is from the Holy Spirit living in us. 1 Peter 1:8 says “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (ESV). 

Jerry Bridges said “True joy comes only from God and He shares this joy with those who walk in fellowship with Him.” 

Psalm 35:9 says “my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; it shall rejoice in His salvation.” The jailer who watched over Paul & Silas in prison found/received joy. Acts 16:34 says the jailer was “filled with joy” because he and his whole family had come to believe in God! We should have joy, even if we are going through terrible times in our life. No matter how bad a situation is, we can have joy because Jesus has overcome the world and this is only our temporary home. Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Psalm 30:5b says “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Claim these verses for your life and realize that joy does come in the morning. One day all our heartaches and grief will be over and we will experience perfect joy in our Eternal Home in Heaven.

Prayer starter: Dear Lord, please fill me with your Fruit of the Spirit and give me true Joy that is only available ONLY through You. Help me to have joy in all situations in my life and lean on You. Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. Amen. 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to have joy today, no matter how bad of a day you may be experiencing. 

Josh Wilson sings it best: “My friend, you know how this all ends and you know where you're going, you just don't know how you get there so just say a prayer and hold on, cause there's good who love God, life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time, but you'll see the bigger picture. Would dare you, would you dare, to believe, that you still have a reason to sing, 'cause the pain you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming. So hold on, you got to wait for the light, press on, just fight the good fight because the pain you've been feeling, it's just the dark before the morning.

ABC's of Godly Character - I

I is for Integrity! Integrity is firm adherence to a code of moral values, incorruptibility, the quality or state of being complete or undivided. Did you catch that: Firm adherence..., Incorruptible..., Undivided... Integrity is what you do when no one else is looking.

It is the “why” we do something. People see WHAT we do, but God sees WHY we do it. Integrity comes from the heart. It’s a God thing. We cannot buy it, cannot we pretend to have it, and we cannot earn it. The “real” us will always show through. We can put on a fake appearance for a little while, but our real colors always come out. Integrity is within us and only God can create it. Proverbs 28:6 says “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” Integrity of heart is mentioned a lot in the Bible. Psalm 78:72 says “"And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." David shepherded the Israelites "with integrity of heart". Although David had many shortcomings throughout his life, one thing was firm. He had “integrity of heart”. After the times that he sinned, he came back to the moral code that was steadfast in his heart. David was a “man after God’s own heart” and even when he messed up and sinned, deep within his heart he was convicted of his sins and repented. Integrity is in the heart. Look deep within and pull out what God has created in you. Cultivate this integrity through spending time in the Bible so that you will have a firm foundation of integrity—one that is created by God. All others are as shifting sand. 

C.S. Lewis said “integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching”. 

Integrity is not about what you do, it is not about who you know, it is not about what you say, it is how you live! 

Prayer starter: Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to develop a heart of integrity. Help me to live like You, even when no one is watching. Help my faith to be real and not just me going through the motions to “look good”. I want to live with integrity of the heart that shouts about my love for you. In Your Precious Name, Amen.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to strive to live for Jesus today and every day…even when no one is watching! How are you living in secret? Do you have integrity of the heart?

ABC's of Godly Character - H

H is for Honesty! Honesty is the quality, condition, or characteristic of being fair, truthful, and morally upright. It is being free of deceit and fraud, having the quality of being honorable and upright in character and actions. Satan is called the “father of lies.”

You cannot trust or believe anything that Satan says or does. God only speaks what is right and true and it is impossible for Him to lie (Hebrews 6:18). God can be trusted. Honest people can be trusted. Dishonest people cannot be trusted. You must decide for yourself whether or not you will be honest & trustworthy. There will be many times in your life where you will have to choose to be like your Heavenly Father who speaks only truth, or choose to honor Satan by lying.  Honesty isn’t easy, doing what is right is not natural in a sin-filled world. 2 Corinthians 8:21 says “providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”  As a Christian, we should always strive to do what is honest.  Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” 

John Quincy Adams said "All men profess honesty as long as they can. To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so, is something worse."   

The Bible is full of examples of honesty or lack of it: look up these people if you don't remember who they were: Achan -Joshua 7, Ananias & Sapphira -Acts 5; Abraham -Genesis 20; Micaiah -1Kings 22; Gehazi - 2 Kings 5. Honesty is always the best policy! Remember that people will not always like it when you tell the truth, especially if you say things they don't want to hear, but it is important to speak the truth, no matter what others want you to say. God is pleased when we speak the truth!

        Prayer starter: Dear Lord, please help me to always be an honest person. Guide my thoughts and my speech so that I do not speak with intent to deceive. Convict me when I fail so that I may learn to be a more honest person and a better example to others. In Your Name, Amen. 

        Your mission should you choose to accept it, is to choose to be honest and speak the truth in love today.