CHRIST’S PERFECT CHARACTER: ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

By: Allana Austin

         

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

          You are looking for a particular item, you’ve looked high and you’ve looked low. Finally, you see it, your search is over, and it is everything you’ve been looking for! Just a few clicks and your special item is on its way to becoming yours, you wait anxiously. You’re excited because today your package arrives, but when you open the door you are disappointed, the package is smaller than anticipated… in your excitement to make your purchase, you missed where it said, “Assembly Required”. No matter, you bring the package into your home, and you begin to remove the many pieces and you set the instructions aside…who really needs them, am I right? You finish assembling your item, per your assessments it is a spectacular purchase. The extra pieces left behind puzzle you, and you ask yourself “why did the manufacturer send extra pieces?”

            By approximation, over seven billion people populate the earth and over seven billion people are looking for a special something or someone to fill a void. I believe millions if not billions choose Christ everyday to fill that void. They choose Christ by putting away all the things believed to be offensive to God. Anyone see a problem with that? Why are we seeking to do what we believe is right?  Friends, if we attempt to perfect the Character of Christ by relying on our own understanding, we undoubtedly will have some extra pieces left over. Our savior has left for us instructions, a guide for us to be like him, while we wait for him.

            So, who is Christ, and how can we be like Him? Christ is the personification of love and endurance, He offered himself as a sacrifice and suffered all the way to His death on the cross to save us from our sins. He taught His humility in many noteworthy ways; one way is with the washing of the feet of His disciples, a rite that we do in remembrance of Him in our communion services. Remember the woman caught in adultery, the little children, the woman with the issue of blood? His patience, kindness and forgiveness of us are evident in His dealings with mankind in the entirety of His earthly mission. Total submission of His will, reliance and trust on God during His mission, and do you remember what happened in the garden? His generosity, mercy, and long-suffering are evidenced by the many miracles he wrought. He healed all sorts of ailments, and He fed thousands with spiritual and corporal food, and set the devil possessed free, friends He conquered death! He was a righteous man, not a strain of sin within Him.

            Come see a man! Come, taste, and see that the Lord is good! I invite you to read the Old Testament, read about creation, about the law, and God’s chosen people. I invite you to read the New Testament, about the new Adam, the fulfilling of the law, and God’s church.

            Perfection is an absolute necessity, it says so in Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” It is not a suggestion. Let us put aside our personal ideals, beliefs and convictions, and dive deep into the Word. There is only one currency in the whole entire world that can be applied to your purchase for Christ’s perfection and righteousness and that is your sins. Give Him your sins, in exchange for a refined character, and remember some assembly is required. Our Father knows our condition and will create circumstances in our lives that will shape our development. Our growth will be seen in the choices that we make. “As you receive the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of unselfish love and the labor for others, you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love will me made more perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely.” E.G. White. I leave with you Galatians 5:22 – 26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”