Monday, 8 February 2010

Cultivating Christian Character

We live in a post-modern world. The greatest need of the hour is the availability of men of character. Universities and colleges focus on knowledge and the development of skills. Children and youth who focus only on knowledge and developing skills will not be prepared for a fulfilling life as adults.

Life demands more than knowledge and skill. Athletes must respect others or they will be ejected from the game. Business professionals must operate ethically or they may be imprisoned. Parents must model good values or their children may bring them shame. In addition to knowledge and skill they need to cultivate good character.

What is character? Character is the array of chosen values on which as person's moral or ethical actions and reactions are based. Good character helps a person resist destructive influences, and burning temptations.

Good character inspires a person to build lasting and stabilizing relationship.

The Bible says "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; all things have become new". But we know, even after rebirth, we are not free from anger, jealousy, covetousness, lust of the flesh, lust of eye and pride of life and the like. It was easier for the Israelites to get out of Egypt than to get Egypt out of them! To develop a distaste for the Egyptian onions and garlic was not easy (Num 11:5) They had to struggle. So also in Christian life we don't grow from boyhood to adulthood over night. Having tasted the mercy of God and the milk of His Word, we must take conscious and consistent effort to develop a dislike for all malice(1 Peter 2:1-3). Let us long for Christ like character. It is good to sing the following chorus as the day breaks everyday:

Change my heart O, God
Make it ever true
Change my heart O, God
May I be like you
You are the potter
I am the clay
Mould me and make me
This is what I pray....

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