Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Character
- Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person. It is hearing from God and obeying. It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.
When I look
at Matthew 11, I see instances of character all around. Look at the opening section of this
chapter. What do we expect from John the
Baptizer? Is he a man whose opinions
changed based on the people around him? Is he a man who worked so that one day
he could live in opulence and luxury?
No! Here is a man whose character
is true. He taught what he
believed. He taught what God asked him
to teach, even if it didn’t lead to material gains. He is a man with strong character; he is a
man who is an excellent role model.
Then we get
a contrasting picture of the character of the world. Have you ever noticed how easy it is for
people to find fault with the people around them? Almost anyone can find something wrong with
anything they look at. Like children in
the marketplace who refuse to be happy when hearing a celebratory piece of
music is heard and they refuse to be sad when a dirge is heard. Rather than being able to see God in the
tings around them, they focus on the faults and imperfections of the people
through whom God is trying to work.
In the end,
we have two choices: have the character of God or the character of the
world. We can take the narrow road,
which is far more difficult, and look past the failings of the people around
us, see where God is at work, and live according to what God is doing. Or we can take the easy road, focus on the
plethora of failings in the people around us, miss God at work, and live
according to our own morality and ethic.
Only one of those leads to eternal life and a yoke that is joyful to
bear.
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