Developing Godly Character
I don't know about you, but I have noticed a sad and disturbing trend in social media and in a number of conversations: Christians from all walks of life seem to be getting angrier.
I get it! I really do! The past 14 months have been incredibly stressful and hard on everyone. I admit, in the past year, my mind has gone to some pretty dark places. I could easily feel anger creeping up inside of me.
When it does, I find comfort in the Bible that this is not who I am. Because of my new identity as a child of God thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, I have a way of dealing with this.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and tenderhearted to each other, forgiving each other just as Christ forgave you. - Ephesians 4:30-32
It's Ok to wrestle with those feelings. The problem I'm seeing is that it is not spilling all over the public square for the entire world to see.
In fact, my social media feed has gotten so angry and so bad that in the past 40 days I have had to block more Christians from Facebook than I've blocked non-Christians in the 14 years I have been using that platform. That really bothers me.
It bothers me, again, not because of the feelings being expressed. Again I totally understand how hard this has been. However, I worry about the eternal consequences of such public anger. Even in our frustrations and disappointments, we still need to exhibit a Godly character.
If we are supposed to get rid of all that negative characteristics, what should it be replaced with? What are the signs of Godly character? I think the apostle Paul gives us a pretty clear answer in the book of Galatians. There he warns the church of the difference between living out of our flesh and living by the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22
Godly character doesn't slander other Christians. It doesn't display bitterness towards the government. It doesn't hold malice towards people.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to lay down our lives for the sake of others. That can only come Godly character, which is grown and developed within us by the Holy Spirit.
My prayer for myself, my family, and my church is that God would develop the fruit of the Spirit even more in our lives. This way, even in our hurt, our pain, our suffering, and our frustrations, we would still display the character of Jesus to a world that is ALSO dealing with hurt, pain, suffering, and frustration.
Let's show them a better way.
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