Character

Hey there! I feeling very blessed today and I'm glad to have the opportunity to share with you guys. Today's selection is taken from a book given to me by my home church at the end of the summer. Character, that is, who we are is so essential, and I don't think that we spend enough time thinking about who we really are, especially when we think that no one's around to see us. Why are there those things that we feel driven to do when no one's around? If we're inclined to do something that we're ashamed to in front of our friends, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate. As Christians, we should be living our lives in a godly manner all the time. We can not serve two masters (matthew 6:24), and that's exactly what we try to do when we have two personalities.

I think these guys do a much better job touching on the matter, so enjoy! Have a blessed week-- Remember that you've always got a friend like none other in Jesus . Much love to all of you.

-AMR

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Chapter 11: Character: What Happens When No One's Looking
from 'God is in the Small Stuff,' graduates edition, by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz

May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.
(Psalms 25:21)

One of the great debates of the last few years has centered on character. Some people believe that it's possible for a person to possess both a public and a private character, even if the two are very different. What you do in private, the reasoning goes, is your own business, as long as it doesn't affect your public performance. There's only one problem with this thinking. Once you divide your personality and your actions into two or more categories or compartments, you deviate from the very definition of character. At its root, character is defined by integrity, and at the heart of integrity is the idea of wholeness. If an object (such as a bridge) or a person (such as you) has integrity, it means that the object or person is in an unbroken condition. Therefore, if your character-- which defines who you are-- is broken into two or more pieces, you no longer have integrity. And without integrity, you don't have much character.

Remember the movie Titanic? One of the primary reasons the big boat was considered unsinkable was because of the compartments in its hull. The theory was that flooding in one compartment due to a breach in the hull wouldn't affect other compartments because of the high walls between them. What the Titanic's designers did not anticipate was that the collision with the ice berg slashed through several compartments at once, so that the sea water spilled over the walls from one compartment to another until the mighty ship tragically sank.

The same thing applies to life. You think you can keep a break in one part of your life from impacting the other parts, but it just doesn't work that way. An integrity breach in one compartment of your life quickly spills over to another until your entire life begins to sink.

So how do you keep your life from flooding? It all has to do with integrity. Keeping your life together. Living your life in private the way you do in public, and vice versa. When you live your life as a whole rather than in parts, you can handle breaks (and you will have them) because there are caring people around who will help you repair the damage-- if they know about it.

One of the best ways to keep your life whole is to pay attention to the small stuff. Do what it takes every day to develop your character and preserve your integrity. Most of all don't live your life to please others. Live your life to please God.

Pray Before You Meet

I know that for me, consistency in my prayer life is one of the things that I struggle with. There are the highs, when I seek every opportunity to talk to God, engaging in a dialogue with him throughout my day. But then there are the lows, when I have difficulty focusing on God for as little as 5 minutes on a regular basis. There are cycles to my 'highs' as well; there are times when I find it easy to pray for others, in addition to myself, and times when I get so caught up in myself that I selfishly forget about praying for my friends, let alone acquaintances and others. Is there a way for me to reconcile this? Is it realistic for me to expect myself to be a "super prayer warrior," all the time? I would argue that it's not, although it is important to have an ideal to strive for. We should not view prayer as an obligation, but rather an opportunity to hang with our best friend.

Just a few things that have helped me with my own faithfulness:

• Set aside a consistent time everyday for God. Obviously praying/bible study outside of these times is fine, but I've found that it's much easier to be "too busy" when I don't have a definite quiet time established. Know yourself-- if you can't carry on a basic conversation before 10am perhaps first thing in the morning is not the best time


• Make a schedule for general areas to pray for on a regular basis. This will allow you to devote more time to each issue, so you can really think about why it is you're praying about it, and can take some time to "be still" and listen to what God has to tell you. For example, mondays you could pray for national affairs, tuesdays for school/church issues, etc.


• Establish a realistic minimum amount of time to spend during your daily session with God. I've heard prayer referred to as being similar to a muscle, in that it's something you have to build up, with practice. If you're accustomed to spending 15 minutes every few days, perhaps starting off at an hour everyday is not the most realistic expectation. Maybe 15 minutes daily is a better place to start. The length of time is not the point-- it's about developing consistency and a commitment you're making to God to be more faithful. Don't get me wrong, prayer is a crucial part of our life and growth as Christians, but don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. We're human and will let God down. Fortunately, he won't return the favor.

Just a few of the thoughts rattling around in my head. This week's devotional is taken from the Campus Journal...have a blessed week!

-AMR

Read

Truth in Advertising

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world.
(john 16:33)

Here's your next weekly installment. I came across this and thought it was perfect. I could think of a host of frustrations to add to that second paragraph...

The point that the author is making is that being a Christian does not lead to a sugar-coated life. We still have problems and come into tough times, just like everyone else. However, the difference is that we have the hope that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This week is bound to be especially tough, especially for those of you still in NYC...try to lead by example, sharing the hope which gives us strength in the midst of tribulation.

-AMR

Check out the Campus Journal devotional

Read

Realized and Took Note

Regardless of the situation, try to live your life in a way that honors God, and that's the best testimony you could ever give. Humility is an important characteristic, and sometimes things like pride and selfishness get in the way of our good intentions. The pastor who preached today's sermon pointed out two things that are important for us, as christians to keep in mind:

1. We are sinners

2. We are saints

There's this song by Donnie McClurkin (i think) that has a line that goes like this: "a saint is just a sinner who fell down, and got up." Paul offers some advice in Philippians that can help us to be more humble: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (phil 2:3). Think about your pastor, parents, professors, favorite singer, or anyone else you might admire and consider the way that you interact with these people (or in the case of someone you've never met, how you would act). We have a respect for their thoughts and opinions because there's some aspect where we feel like they're better than us. Don't get me wrong, that's not the only reason to have respect for someone, but it's often a factor. It doesn't take a degree to share Christ with others. Study the word, and especially the life of Christ to see how he responded in the same sort of situations we face today (phil 2:5-8). The more we think about ourselves the easier it is to fall away and to see that it's really nothing that WE do, but rather what God does through us that can touch someone else's life.

Have a blessed week! For those of you starting school on tues, good luck (and enjoy your last day off... I know from experience that it's not easy to motivate yourself to get back into work mode after a long summer, but I know you can do it .

-AMR

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The Daily Devo
by Pastor Steve Baney

Realized and Took Note

Acts 4:13 "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." (NIV)

What do people notice when they look at you? Peter and John were both ordinary people. But Jesus changed their lives. God turns us into completely new people when Jesus enters our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says we are made into a new creation when we are in Christ. Are people seeing this in you?

Father, change me so that people will notice your work in my life.
Scripture quoted from
Holy Bible, New International Version.
Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1988.