A Christlike Character

I came across this in a recent alumni publication from Hardin-Simmons, my alma mater:

As Christians, let us light the path, blaze the trail, and be living examples of people who are joyful in all circumstances, steadfast in Christlike character – even in trials and suffering – and willing to live sacrificially and serve others so they can experience Christ and come to know the Father’s love. Let us be willing to let go of the pleasures of this world, to be inconvenienced, interrupted, and called out of our comfort zones for the sake of Christ being made known.

I had to tear the page out of the magazine so I could think about it, and as I have read and reread it, I have had to ask myself how well do I measure up to this description of a Christlike character. How steadfast am I in the face of trials and suffering, and how willing am I to be inconvenienced, interrupted, or called out of my comfort zone for the sake of the Gospel?

Uncomfortable silence on my part.

It’s never easy to shine a light into the dark recesses of your soul, and as I have sat in self-reflection, I think about Jesus. Jesus, who was never hurried or inconvenienced, and unlike me, he seemed to welcome interruptions, seeing each as a divine appointment with a person in need. He gave up the glories of heaven to come to earth on a rescue mission and willingly took our place on a cross to pay the price for our redemption. Yes, because of Jesus’ sacrifice our debts are paid. We are no longer slaves to sin: “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

Friends, if you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you too have been forgiven. You have received God’s unmerited favor, and our response to this incredible gift should be to fall on our knees in worship and thanksgiving. Yes, praise should forever be on our lips, and as I think about the character of Christ, another facet comes to mind and that was his attitude of forgiveness.

In his book, What If It’s True?, Charles Martin writes:

The bedrock of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is forgiveness. Forgiveness is love with legs. Period. The mushroom cloud rising out of hell was caused by three words: “Father, forgive them.” And for that, hell had no answer. Death lost its victory. No sting. Captives set free…. The resurrection does not guarantee you a life free from hardships and suffering. The resurrection guarantees you the power to die Jesus’ death and live Jesus’ life.

Forgiveness stopped Satan dead in his tracks, and when reading through the Gospels, you will see that forgiveness was a recurring theme in Jesus’ teaching:

• “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

• “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:24-25)

• “And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” (Matthew 6:12)

The takeaway for me is that if we are going to be steadfast in Christlike character and serve others, we too must learn to forgive. This is how we blaze trails as we pick up our cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). Yet, I think we will all agree that forgiving others is hard! C.S. Lewis said, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”

Once again, truth from my favorite theologian! In the deep recesses of our hearts, lurk those ugly thoughts about people getting what they deserve. Let’s be honest here; we are all about us receiving God’s mercy and grace, but not so much the other guy. And don’t for a minute think that Satan lets that escape his notice. He quickly jumps on the bandwagon by constantly reminding of us of what “those people” did. He whispers that the only way for justice to be served is for us to do the serving, and even as believers, we have come to see this as the right thing to do. Why shouldn’t we repay the wrong that was done to us?

However, if you are like me, there is that little voice in the back of your head telling you to stop and remember what the Bible says:

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21)

I read that these verses summarize the core of Christian living. If we will love others the way Christ loves us, we will be willing to do good instead of evil. Therefore, we must fight the desire for revenge and trust that God can work and accomplish his will in our lives and in the lives of those who hurt us. We just need to remember the words of Peter and entrust ourselves to the one who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). However, let me say that forgiveness does not mean you have to stay in a relationship that is harmful or abusive. If you are in one, get to a safe place and seek help.

I know, this is a lot and you may be wondering how one even begins. Friends, on our own we can’t, but we have a secret weapon that the world doesn’t have. We have the power of the Holy Spirit; therefore, we do not have to “conform to the pattern of this world”. Instead, we can let the Spirit work from within to transform and renew our minds. “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

When we submit our will to the Holy Spirit, he will begin a metamorphose in us.  He will teach us obedience and how to love our neighbors. The more time we spend with him, we will begin to want the things that God wants. In other words, we will want to serve others, we will want to forgive, and we will be at peace with leaving the justice to God.

And the result? God’s name is glorified!

Yes, this is a big task, but God is more than up to the challenge. He will do the heavy lifting that we can’t. Our part is simply to have a willingness to let go and follow our Savior.  As Moses told the people:

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12)

That’s how we begin to have a Christlike character.

Have a blessed and joyful day.  Lisa

Discussion Questions

How willing are you to be inconvenienced, interrupted, and called out of your comfort zones for the sake of Christ being made known?

How can we apply the teaching on not judging others in our digital age, particularly in relation to social media?

How can you practically "overcome evil with good" in a situation you are currently facing?

What are things you can do to no longer conform to the “pattern of this world”?