Character Development

Love: A heart intention to act according to intelligent perspective: to choose impartially to bring blessing to others within the boundaries of what is right an proper. Ps 25:8-10, 34:8, 86:5, 100:5, 145:9 1. Virtue vs. Impurity: Giving, expecting nothing in return. II Pet. 1:5 2. Generosity vs. Stinginess: Realizing that all I have belongs to God and using it as He directs (an attitude of non-possessiveness). II Cor. 6:9, 8: Hospitality vs. Loneliness: Cheerfully sharing food shelter and spiritual refreshment (an attitude of vulnerability). Heb 13:2. The act of receiving strangers or guests without reward, with kind and generous liberality. God fed Elijah by a raven. Character Development 1:11

Righteousness: A determination to deal rightly with all men. Absolute uprightness without any deception. Action not taken arbitrarily, but rather determined reasonably on the basis of value. Ge. 18:25, Dt 32.4, Ps. 11:7, Hos 14:9. 1. Fairness vs. Partiality: looking at a decision from the viewpoint of each person involved. Lk. 6: Sincerity vs. Hypocrisy: The eagerness to do what is right with transparent motives. I Pet 1:22. Mt. 6:1. 3. Justice vs. Guile: to live life according to the absolute standards expressed in the principles of the Bible. Micah 6:8 4. Thrift vs. Wastefulness: right use of property and possessions. Lk 16: Punctuality vs. Tardiness: Right use of time, a God-given, irreplaceable, limited resource of which we are stewards. Ecc. 3:1. Character Development 2:11

Mercy: An attitude of heart that is totally free of all bitterness and resentment, possessing absolutely no desire to retaliate, not even the tiniest degree. A heart desire to pardon, accompanied by deep grief when pardon cannot wisely be granted. Ps. 85: 6,7; Lam. 3:22-23; Ro. 2:3; Eph. 2:4. 1. Forgiveness vs. Rejection: a heart response towards others as though they had in no way wronged you. Eph. 4: Compassion vs. Indifference: investing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts of others. I Jn 3:17 3. Sensitivity vs. Callousness: being aware of those around me and being alert to their needs. Ro. 12:15 4. Gentleness vs. Harshness: Expressing personal care appropriate to another’s emotional need. I Th. 2:7. Character Development 3:11

Mercy: cont. 5. Tolerance vs. Prejudice: accepting others as unique expressions of specific character qualities in varying degrees of maturity. Phil. 2:2 6. Attentiveness vs. Unconcern: not ignoring not belittling anyone because all are made the image of God. Ge. 1: Flexibility vs. Resistance: A cooperative spirit resisting from humilty. Ph. 2:3. 8. Deference vs. Rudeness: limiting my personal freedom in order to more effectively encourage another to do God’s will. The Christian relationship is the only relationship where you desire to promote the other individual to get ahead of you. Ro. 14:21. Character Development 4:11

Wisdom: Knowledge in love to produce good and usefulness. Ro. 11:33; Ps. 104: Wisdom vs. Natural inclinations: seeing and responding to life situations from God’s frame of reference. Pr. 9: Discernment vs. Reactionism: seeing through a surface problem to a deeper, more basic need. I Sam. 16:7. 3. Discretion vs. Simple-mindedness: avoiding words, actions, and attitudes which would result in undesirable consequences. Pr. 22:3, 26: Decisiveness vs. Double-mindedness: the commitment to finalize difficult decisions based on the will and ways of God. James 1: Persuasiveness vs. Contentiousness: being able to present truth without producing argument. (Guiding truth around another’s biases) II Tim 2:24 6: Thoughtfulness vs. Rashness: Responding out of intelligent reason not out of emotional reactions. Pr. 19:2; Jas 1:9. 7. Resourcefulness vs. Wastefulness: wise use of that which others would normally overlook or discard. Lk. 16:10. Character Development 5:11

Truthfulness: The willingness to express reality as it is without distortion or deception. Num. 23:19. Openness vs. Deception: earning future trust by accurately reporting past facts. Eph. 4:25. Character Development 6:11

Faithfulness: The commitment of the will to always maintain a voluntary attitude of impartial good will toward all men. Lam 3:23; Ex. 3:14; Heb. 12:2; Rev. 22: Responsibility vs. Unreliability: knowing and doing the highest good toward God and others. Ro. 14:12 2. Loyalty vs. Unfaithfulness: keeping my commitments, to those whom God has called me to serve. This commitment is not determined by how imperfect the other person is, but rather by God’s command to serve. Jn. 15:13; Ps. 15: Initiative vs. Unresponsiveness: recognizing and doing what needs to be done before I am asked to do it; and not doing what I know will not be agreed to. Ro. 12: Obedience vs. Sell-will: instant, joyful, total, personal application of truth. Heb. 13:17; Is. 66:2. Character Development 7:11

Faithfulness: cont 5. Determination vs. Faint-heartedness: purposing to accomplish God’s goal in God’s time regardless of the opposition. II Tim 4:7,8. 6. Diligence vs. Slothfulness: doing all my work faithfully without wasting time (done out of a desire to make God happy). Col 3:23; Pr. 6: Dependability vs. Inconsistency: fulfilling what I consented to do, even if it means unexpected sacrifice. Ps. 18: Thoroughness vs. Incompleteness: maximizing the effectiveness of my work by not overlooking details. Pr. 18: Orderliness vs. Disorganization: preparing myself and my surroundings so that I will achieve the greatest efficiency. I Cor. 14:40. Character Development 8:11

Holiness: The Character of God in one word. The description of a life lived out in love. In God, holiness is complete because His knowledge is complete. With man, holiness is relative because he is still growing in knowledge. Lev. 11:44; Is. 6:3; I Pet. 1:15, 16; Rev. 4:8. 1. Faith vs. Presumption: finding and following God’s will and not out of our own good ideas. Ro. 4:18-20; Heb 11:1. 2. Honor vs. Reproach: Committing my will to live in accordance with truth, Col 1: Humility vs. Pride: realizing that I have not achieved anything without the help of God and others. Jas. 4:6; Is 66:2. 4. Meekness vs. Anger: a will to yield to the will of God. Ps. 62:4. 5. Boldness vs. Fearfulness: having the fear of the Lord and confirm through truth that I am in the will of God. Is. 54:17. Character Development 9:11

Holiness: cont 6. Self-Control vs. Self-indulgence: placing Godly regulations on every area of your life. Gal: 5: Hope vs. Despair: the confident assurance that God will not fail us. Pr. 23:18; Pr. 24:14; Lam. 3: Restfulness vs. Anxiety: relying upon God to accomplish the work in which He asked you to join with Him. Is. 26:3, Ph. 4:6. 9. Security vs. Fear: structuring my life around what is eternal and cannot be destroyed or taken away. Ps. 32:3,4; Jn. 6:27; Ps Gratefulness vs. Unthankfulness: thanking God and others for what you have received from them. I Cor. 4: Contentment vs. Covetousness: realizing that relationship with God founded on truth is the source of my happiness. Col 2:10; Mt. 6:30-33; I Tim 6:8. Character Development 10:11

Holiness: cont 12. Joyfulness vs. Self-Pity: an inner attitude, the by product of appreciating God’s love. Pr. 15:13, 17:22; Ph. 4: Zeal vs. Apathy: the inner propulsion to serve God: originating from your relationship with Him and developed through acquiring truth and living according to it. Phil. 3:13, Patience vs. Frustration: accepting a difficult situation from God without giving Him a deadline to remove it. Ro. 5:3, Availability vs. Self-centeredness: making my own schedule and priorities second to God’s redirecting. Ph. 2:20,21. Character Development 11:11

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