How to Live a Life of Character: Part 2

Your character matters.
Character is your currency to influence the world around you for Christ.

How would you want to be remembered, even after you’re team had lost?  Not too long ago I saw the press conference of a team who had just lost a big game.  I’ll leave the sport, the team & the occasion anonymous.  But I was completely blown away by the lack of class & character on display.  No sportsmanship.  The players looked completely deflated.  They didn’t sit up.  They mumbled their answers to the press.  They made no eye contact.  They made as little effort as humanly possible & gave no credit to the other team.  They thought they should have won.  That they were entitled to win.  But they didn’t.  And their lack of character was now on display.

I found myself glad the other team had won.

Your character is probably most on display at your lowest moments.  People look to see how you will respond.  React.

In the Bible you would be hard pressed to find a person of more character than the apostle Paul (with the exception of Jesus of course!). Paul had great character & great credibility with his audience when talking about the gospel. Why? Because he suffered a great deal for the gospel & persevered through many incredible hardships for the gospel. Paul was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked & so much more while trying to spread the good news about Christ.

Paul planted countless churches & wrote over half the New Testament. You know why he was so incredibly effective? He was a person of great character. Everyone knew his reputation. They knew he deeply believed what he taught. And that he was willing to die for what he believed. You think Paul ever wanted to give up? Retire? Take a break? Concede that life wasn’t fair & things weren’t going his way? Maybe. But he never did. And because of his character & perseverance the kingdom of God grew.  (2 Corinthians 11.22-29)

And Paul, who persevered through all these hard times, said this about the importance of character.

Philippians 1:6, 9-11
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

So how do you become a person of character?

According to Paul, you have to…

1. Overflow with love for others.
When you love others regardless of who they are or what they’ve done, when you love others because they are people created & highly valued by God, your character shines through.

2. Grow in wisdom.
To grow is wisdom is to consistently do the right thing & use good judgment. To do what you know is right even when it’s hard.  It’s listening to wise people around you & taking their advice.  It’s listening before speaking.  Learning before leading.  This creates character.

3. Live a blameless life.
People who live a blameless life are the people who have great character. Even people who have “fallen” but then go on to learn from their mistakes & live a blameless life are people of character that are respected & help others with their story because they have overcome.

4. Be filled with the fruit of your salvation.
Remember the song about the “Fruit of the Spirit?” Those things like love, joy, peace, patience — when you are filled with those kinds of things you don’t have to tell anyone you’re a person of character. They know. They see the evidence in your life.

You know this is true: Your character is your currency to influence the world around you for Christ. As soon as your character is compromised your influence goes out the window. That’s not to say God can’t use your past mistakes to make a big difference in the lives of others. He can & He will if you let Him. But even this only really happens after you’ve reestablished your character. After you’ve done the hard work of loving others, growing in wisdom, living a blameless life for a season & having others see the fruit. This results in a life of character.

Your character matters. Character is your currency to influence the world around you for Christ.

[Tweet “When you are a person of character you have the opportunity to speak into the lives of others.”]

When you are a person of character you have the opportunity to speak into the lives of others.  You have the opportunity to help. You have the chance to make a difference. And people will let you & they will listen because they know your reputation. They know your character. They know what you are known for. And if you’re a person of character they will give you the chance to influence their lives. And in that moment you’ll have the chance to offer wisdom, advice, help, support, friendship — all through the lens of Jesus Christ. You can leverage your character to make a difference in someone’s life & impact them for Christ. Your character matters.

How do you want to be remembered? I hope you’re remembered for your integrity, your character.

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