Thursday October 6, 2016

 

More than anything else, who you are, will determine what you will accomplish. What you have will not determine your mark in life but who you are will. Nothing will reflect who you are more than your character. Character determines everything about you. It determines how you will react to success and it will determine how you respond to the inevitable storms of life. More importantly, your character will determine if you are a person worth knowing.

 

Character is more important than your talents, abilities, knowledge, or your network of friends. It is something we want to see in others, but often times neglect to develop in ourselves. Perhaps this is why in my capacity of Pastor, I spend so much time dealing with people who are going through personal disasters, as a result of having neglected for so long, the importance of character in their lives. It is also why I find myself dealing with another group of people, which are trying to recover from the devastating effects that the lack of character of those around them has caused. We can readily see this in our political leaders. Just observe how people are suffering because of their lack of character. However, I do not wish to focus on the lack of character of others. I prefer to focus on making character building one of the highest priorities in our life.

 

Jesus, in His sermon on the mountain, addressed a group of people that were suffering because of their own lack of character. It was easier for them to point out the lack of character in others. They could easily point to the injustice they were suffering under the strong hand of the Roman Empire. As they listened to Jesus speak, their primary concern was housing, food, and clothing. Their ultimate goal however, was to be set free from the oppressive rule of the Romans and to reestablish the kingdom of Israel. The more Jesus spoke, the more they realized that His priorities did not align with their expectations. They were concerned with having, while Jesus focused on who they were becoming. They were concerned with freedom and Jesus was concerned with character.

 

Matthew 6:33 NIV

 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

Jesus focused on righteousness while they were looking for things. They were worried about their daily needs and Jesus focused on the task of becoming the right person. Jesus knew more than anything else did, that character is what would protect them and those closest to them from personal catastrophe. Jesus knew that their character, more than anything else, would determine how good or bad their future would be.

 

We tend to dedicate a lot of time and energy to acquiring things. At the end of it all, it is not worth it. We need to spend our time building character and character is always worth it.