“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies” (Philippians 4:8-9 MSG).
AUTHENTICITY IN PERSONAL CHARACTER is a means of true influence and being a light to others. Being authentic means being real about our joys and sorrows, our victories and difficulties. People relate to others when there is no pretense.
Our character at work should reflect Christ and be an attraction for others, becoming a light in even the darkest of work environments (see Matthew 5:16). Our character’s focus is on the inside out process of personal and corporate transformation and of being salt and light “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15).
Work provides a natural environment in which we can exhibit kingdom values and hope in a temporal arena. It provides a context in which we can represent Jesus Christ by building relationships; by demonstrating character, conviction, and integrity; and by doing our work with care and quality.
Applications
– Character is shown in honesty, integrity, humility, and serving others. It is revealed in the choices we make and is often only seen when no one is looking. Only those who are humble can serve others because they are secure in Christ. This is at the heart of servanthood.
– God develops our character as we endure and walk by faith through life’s pain and difficulty. This is also how maturity is developed. The character that is a developed by the testing and persevering of our faith produces a broken and contrite heart. This brokenness leads to surrender and is manifested by humility. Brokenness is the beginning of true fruitfulness.
– Writing out one’s faith journey helps us prepare to have faith conversations.
“One of the problems we face in today’s church is that men are not often sustained by authentic friendships.” — Al Mohler
BW
Purchase the Entire Devotional – “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”
The devotion above was taken from the 52-week Devotional entitled “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”.
Many give a mental assent to this teaching yet are often asking, “What do I do? What does Christ as life look like?“ Too often Christians err by moving too far to one side or the other—reducing the Christian life to a list of do’s and don’ts, or they actually do nothing.
These inspiring weekly devotions are just some of the actions that reflect the life of Christ in each of us, and they explore four areas as we follow the One Leader, Jesus Christ –
- A Foundational Focus
- A Personal Focus
- A Relational Focus
- A Missional Focus
Be challenged, encouraged, and spurred on to a deeper walk with Christ.
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