Judging people’s character . . .

Daily writing promptAre you a good judge of character?View all responses

Am I a good judge of character? You decide.

I saw character defined as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” Character is what you really are deep inside. It’s what you would do if you were completely convinced that no one would ever find out about it.

Good character requires that you live well with persistent honesty, compassion, purity, and integrity in all your actions, thoughts, and desires. By that standard, no one truly has good character.

True character is consistently thinking, saying, and doing only what is morally right. As humans we want people to believe that we have good character, but our true character comes out in unguarded moments, such as when we’re angry, frustrated, hurt, rejected, stressed, depressed, drunk, or high. Your reputation is what people think you are like, but character is what you are really like in your deepest self. Good character requires a completely pure heart and the innocence of a guilt-free conscience, but who has those?

The Bible calls character “righteousness.” It clearly states that “There is no one righteous, not even one.” The reality is that all humans fall short of true character. No one is completely honest and moral in everything that they think, say, and do. No one!

If you care about the deepest and most hidden content of your character, there is a way to true character. The way isn’t self-help. Our hearts are too broken and corrupt to be healed and repaired by self-effort. We need a better way.

Someone has said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” His name is Jesus and He is the Creator who was born as a human being. He was tortured and executed to suffer the worst consequences of our corrupt character. He rose from the dead to live forever so that He can now live in and through whosoever will fully surrender to Him and day-by-day fill them with His perfect character. The Bible calls that “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Here’s how Jesus changed my life and came to live in me:

There was a moment
When Jesus first arrived,
When I truly believed
And actually received
His presence within me.
O the glory I perceived
When Christ came and retrieved
My heart from despair
So I can now breathe the air
Of the wind of His Spirit
And read His word and hear it.

Lifestyle Christianity isn’t boxed in by church attendance. It happens wherever you happen to be throughout the day! Lifestyle Christianity is based on observing and obeying what Jesus is saying and doing within you, not on watching a church service. It isn’t about being a member of a religious organization. It’s about letting the risen Jesus daily organize and direct your mind, your heart, and your actions.

Because the Creator became a man as Jesus, we no longer need a religious organization in order to connect with God. Christianity is a lifestyle of connecting heart-to-heart with Jesus and being led by His presence within you, not a religion. The lifestyle of continually hearing and obeying Jesus is an incredibly exciting adventure. If Christianity isn’t continually changing your outward lifestyle from deep within you, it’s falling far short of its intended impact. Open your heart and try it for real!

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