And as
he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was
white and glistering.– Luke 9:29. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The way you live your life today determines what God
can hand over to you tomorrow.
Character
has been defined as a set of qualities that makes somebody or something
distinctive, interesting or attractive. It is a set of distinguishing features.
It also refers to moral strength.
It is
confirmed that the quality of a man’s character determines the intensity of the
glory he can walk in. In Luke 9:29, the Bible makes it clear that as Jesus
prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and that His raiment was
white and glistering. The whiteness of His garment signifies character and the
glittering represents glory. So, there is a connection between the character of
a person and the glory of God they manifest. Many of us expect to manifest the
glory of God in our lives without possessing the required character; it does
not work that way.
Now, why is
character necessary? What is the importance of character in a man’s life?
1.
Character determines Destiny.
Character is the determinant of destiny. Where you will reach in life or what you will ever become in life is determined by your character. For instance, it was the solidity of Joseph’s character that made him to realize his destiny. When he was in charge of Potiphar’s house, he would not misuse anything that was under his custody. Genesis 39:5–6 says: ‘And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house (Potiphar made Joseph overseer), and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.’
Character is the determinant of destiny. Where you will reach in life or what you will ever become in life is determined by your character. For instance, it was the solidity of Joseph’s character that made him to realize his destiny. When he was in charge of Potiphar’s house, he would not misuse anything that was under his custody. Genesis 39:5–6 says: ‘And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house (Potiphar made Joseph overseer), and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.’
You see,
nothing was missing out of the things under Joseph’s control. No wonder God
could entrust a whole nation into his hands because He knew nothing would miss.
The way you live your life today determines what God can hand over to you
tomorrow. There are many people who fail to realise that where they are in life
today is an examination for the future. God is observing what you are doing
with the little money in your hands now; He is examining how you are utilizing
the little opportunities you currently have in order to determine what He can
do with you tomorrow. Joseph, for instance, was given a household to manage and
nothing was lost. So, God said: ‘if you can handle a household efficiently you
can also handle a nation.’ He was tempted to commit immorality with Potiphar’s
wife, though it seemed nobody would have known about it if he had complied with
her, but he refused to compromise. She seemed to have told Joseph: ‘I will
speak to my husband for you if you agree to have immorality with me and you
will be promoted beyond the level of a houseboy that you are.’ And Joseph
replied: ‘There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he
kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I
do this great wickedness, and sin against God? (Genesis 39:9).
Joseph did this because of his fear of God (Genesis 42:18). The
fear of God, therefore, is the secret of the future. Beloved,
refuse a life of sin and compromise; maintain a solid character today for a
concrete destiny tomorrow both in this world and in the world to come. This is
because your character also determines your eternal destiny. Don’t toy with the
matter of character.
ASSIGNMENT(S):
1. Ask God to purge you of every anti-character habit in your life. 2. Make up your mind to deny every activity of the flesh in your life.
1. Ask God to purge you of every anti-character habit in your life. 2. Make up your mind to deny every activity of the flesh in your life.
PRAYER: O LORD, purge me of every
anti-character habit in my life. Make me to live upright LORD, in Jesus’ Name
DAILY READING
QUOTE: The way of integrity at any
point, is superior to the way of compromise. The way of excellence at any point
is higher than the way of mediocrity. Culled from WHO ARE YOU? by
Dr Paul Enenche.
Source: Seeds of Destiny, 11/04/2015
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