The Happiest People on Earth
A Recent Article describes Christians as the happiest people on earth.
posted by Adam @ 9:09 AM
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Personality And Character
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! "
2 Corinthians 5:17
When my father gave his life to Jesus a few years back, I saw a big change in him. He became a new person. His priorities changed as did the way he saw people. At the same time however, he was still the same person he had always been, he was still my dad. It was almost as if God had taken the things that were already in him, but simply enhanced them, and slowly began to work on the things that we all need to deal with.
This got me thinking about verses such as the one above. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we change, there is no doubt about that. Galations 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." But didn't God create us all unique and according to His will? "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:14) If God loves us as we are, and He created our personality just for us, why would he change it when we give our lives to him.
Then I had a thought. When we become a Christian, I don't think it is our personality that changes. Our personality is ours, and was made just as it was supposed to be. If someone has a wild and crazy personality before they get saved, they will become wild and crazy for Jesus. I think when we are saved God changes something else in us, our Character. Our personality is who we are, but so is our character. I think this is what the Holy Spirit works on, to make more like Jesus' character. It shapes our values and the way we see and treat others.
If we want to be a better person, we need to develop the character of Jesus, and only God can do that. This doesn't mean the responsibility is all His, but it means if we try to do it in our own strength we're not going to get there.
Lord, help me to develop a character that mirrors yours.
2 Corinthians 5:17
When my father gave his life to Jesus a few years back, I saw a big change in him. He became a new person. His priorities changed as did the way he saw people. At the same time however, he was still the same person he had always been, he was still my dad. It was almost as if God had taken the things that were already in him, but simply enhanced them, and slowly began to work on the things that we all need to deal with.
This got me thinking about verses such as the one above. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we change, there is no doubt about that. Galations 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." But didn't God create us all unique and according to His will? "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:14) If God loves us as we are, and He created our personality just for us, why would he change it when we give our lives to him.
Then I had a thought. When we become a Christian, I don't think it is our personality that changes. Our personality is ours, and was made just as it was supposed to be. If someone has a wild and crazy personality before they get saved, they will become wild and crazy for Jesus. I think when we are saved God changes something else in us, our Character. Our personality is who we are, but so is our character. I think this is what the Holy Spirit works on, to make more like Jesus' character. It shapes our values and the way we see and treat others.
If we want to be a better person, we need to develop the character of Jesus, and only God can do that. This doesn't mean the responsibility is all His, but it means if we try to do it in our own strength we're not going to get there.
Lord, help me to develop a character that mirrors yours.
posted by Adam @ 5:40 PM
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