Fifty
2 Sundays- Listening for God
Sunday’s sermon was definitely one of
the best I have heard during the past eight months of visiting different
churches in the Nashville community. It was a sermon designed to be heard
before the election. The intent of the message was that no matter the outcome of the election, we should be so grounded in God’s Word and our trust in Him that our faith will not stumble. This got me
thinking about truth, faith and character and how they influence one another.
True faith has to be built on God’s Word.
The scripture tells us that “faith comes from hearing the message (the Word) as
spoken by Christ” (Romans 10:17) and all God’s words are true and his righteous
laws eternal (Psalm 119:60). The relationship of truth to character can be seen in what Jesus said when disputing with the Jews; although he is describing Satan, he plainly states that his nature (or character) is the result of "not holding to the truth" (John 8:44).
The understanding
of the truth is paramount to the development of faith. As the Parable of the
Sower describes; “…the seed falling on good
soil refers to someone who hears the
word and understands it” (Matthew 13:23a). It can be difficult to love someone when you do not understand them. And we are told to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).
This love requires the whole of who we are, the substance of our being - our character. And character development is one of the things God apparently cares about. Consider Romans
5:3 & 4: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character,
hope.”
Our character as believers and followers of Christ does matter and it is on display 24 x 7. Hopefully before we ever open our mouths to share our faith, our character (nature) has left a favorable impression and been a witness to what we believe and hold to be true.
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