In Galatians 5:22-26 Paul writes what should be produced in our lives if we live a God defined life. Paul tells the church
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
He then writes to the church in Ephesus about how that fruit is seen.
For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
Ephesians 5:9 NKJV
Simply put God defined character is seen by the fruit we produce which is viewed through the window of Goodness, Righteousness and Truth.
Jesus said that His disciples or followers would be known by their fruit.
When people live a life absent of God defined character it sets off a chain reaction all on its own.
When people you know have a reputation for compromising their integrity to avoid loss, they not only forfeit your respect, but they destroy people’s confidents in them as well. A sense of unpredictability looms about these people. You know if they are willing to lie to a stranger, a customer, a client, another business associate, then they are willing to lie to you as well. If they will cheat in one arena of life then there is a good possibility that everything and everybody is up for grabs. If they will crucify one person behind their back then more than likely they will do the same to you when you’re not looking.
On the other hand a person who possessed godly character has an impact on everyone in his or her sphere of influence. I’m speaking of the unique man or woman who walks away when someone begins sharing a juicy piece of gossip. It’s that one-in-a-million friend who never says anything negative about you in your absence. It’s the guy who quickly owns up to his mistakes instead of blaming others. It’s the woman who is quick to give credit to the person who thought of the ideal rather than take the credit herself. It’s the husband who has only positive things to say about his wife in public. It the wife who allows her husband to lead when everyone knows she may be more gifted in that area.
There is something attractive about these kinds of people.We find ourselves wanting to be like them. We enjoy their company, relationships with these people comes easy.
Who will you be in five years? Ten years?
I’m not referring to your role or job title. For just a moment lay aside the dreams that involve your career or net worth. I’m talking about what you hope to find on the inside. What kind of person do you hope to become? Today you took a step. You either moved closer to or further away from what you hope to be. Most people moved further away. A handful overcame the negative inertia of this fallen world and moved forward.
But nobody – nobody – stood still.
The problem is character is like a tree – it doesn’t develop overnight. Real God defined character is developed over a life time. You can’t wait until the last minute and pull an all-nighter and expect to earn a passing grade. It’s an essay test. An essay that takes a lifetime to write.
Today you wrote a section and it was Louder than Words.
This thought was partly taken from the book Louder Than Words by Andy Stanley I challenge you to read it if you haven’t
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