"J"esus Rewards "I"ntegrity

Character isn't something that is created instantly, it takes time.  It encompasses all your decisions, words and choices you have made over your lifetime.  Character is a precious commodity that we should protect and treasure at all times.  Our daily lives help us to create our character.  Adversity and struggles mold our character daily.  Beth Moore once said, "Often, our character is at greater risk in prosperity than in adversity".  She's right.  When life is good, we feel good.  We walk a path of carefree days and then the moment adversity strikes, we are tested.

Romans 5:3-4 tells us, We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience.  And patience produces character, and character produces hope.

God is telling us in Romans, we will have troubles in this life.  Often times, we will feel like we are swimming upstream against the current, but God uses these moments in our lives to build up our character for good. 

I will step inside my own adversities for a moment.  The last year in my house has been a roller coaster.  I have wanted to get off the ride every time another bump happened.  From Chris being in the hospital and almost dying last year.  Then my own health issues were thrown into the mix when my diabetes medication needed to be "tweaked".  Throw in my son's Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis and becoming insulin dependent and starting college.  Sprinkle over all that my Grandmother beginning to decline and a few trips to Iowa to be with her, help her move, and say our final good byes.  Somewhere in here my husband decided to change jobs.   And then the cherry on top is the constant struggle with insurance for insulin coverage, doctor appointments and ongoing lab work.  And through all this, I only had one place to turn my eyes to, Jesus.  I would love to sit here and tell you that I walked through all that adversity like a model Christian full of good character and kindness but alas, I'm human and I did not.  I had good days and bad days.  I had days that I could hide the frustration and adversity, I had days where it showed all over my face.  And all those days together built a bit of my character.

God doesn't throw us curve balls just to see us sweat.  No, not at all.  He throws us curve balls so that we will learn to trust Him in all circumstances.  And trusting Him through it all is hard, it's counter culture to our society.  It's counter culture to us as humans.  We want to fix it.  We want it fixed now.  We want answers now.  We want everyone to like us.  We want, we want, we want.    Benjamin E. Fernando has correctly observed, "Persecution is one of the surest signs of the genuineness of our Christianity."  The stronger we become in Christ, the harder the hits will come.  Oh such truth is in that one quote. 

Think about it for just a minute, as we enter into this Easter season, Christ was persecuted.  In Isaiah, we are told the story of Christ and His sacrifice for us on His walk to the cross.  I love how Isaiah uses such visuals for us to really grasp the significance of Christ's sacrifice. 

Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

    each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

 He was oppressed and afflicted,

    yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

    so he did not open his mouth.  Isaiah 53:4-7

If Christ suffered that persecution, what could I possibly suffer that even comes close to that?  Yes, life is a daily uphill battle that some days just never seems to end ,but God my friends, but God.  

God can do extraordinary things through our battles.  And when we come out the other side, God is there with us.  He never leaves us to walk the battles alone, He is always right beside us.  And when

the battle seems to hard, He will pick us up and see us through.  And through all these battles and trusting God comes character that represents our identity in Christ.  As believers in Christ, we must make a daily choice to live in obedience, honesty and in faith with God.  When we allow ourselves to trust Him through it all, we are provided the opportunity to grow closer to God and to look back and see God's fingerprints all over our lives.  Building a good character isn't easy but as a child of God, it's the way we are called to live.  Preserve it, no matter what.  

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.  Psalm 1:1-3

Friends, stand strong.  Stand firm in your faith knowing that God is using this moment of adversity to draw you closer to Him.  Know that He loves you and is building your character for good so that you may be a light to the other watching.