Character Part 2: HOLY Outfit

     Character is something that everyone has. Some have good character while some do not unfortunately. Character is like an outfit. We sometimes may wish that we had that perfect outfit that always looked good and never went out of style. An outfit can make us feel like our absolute best. Believe it or not we all can have that perfect look. It is something known as our character.
     Colossians 3:12-14 states, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
     God has given us virtues that we are all capable of having. Not only are they virtues that benefit us, they are mainly benefiting for others. God is telling us to treat others like we would like to be treated.  With a combination of kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love, these things can bind together and make a difference.Not only that, but we should forgive like he did for us. We all are able to be our very best that we can be with these virtues. So put on your best look for every day of the week. By doing this you can show others what Christ has done for you, and is able to do for them as well. The Choice is Yours.

Character: Part One: Be a STAR

     "You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices." Leviticus 18:3 God put these people in areas where they would be tempted by evil. He left them in the beautiful place of Canaan with a warning: "You must not do as they do."Are you in a place surrounded with people that live or think differently than you do? I know for me coming to college was going to be a land like Canaan. It was new and exciting but temptation flocks everywhere. I am faced by others that just don't lead the same life that I do. This is hard for me because its a challenge. I feel like I am Moses being constantly reminded not to do as the others do. I want to be a light for Christ in this place instead of falling into temptation and following the crowd.
     Philippians 2:13 adds another great point by saying, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." It is a harder job to complete by having our lives characterized by a peace-loving, patient, and positive outlook, but it would make us stand out of the crowd. When I am around others that have negative attitudes, after a while, I tend to catch it as well. Bad attitudes are like a contagious virus. Once you place yourself around the person with that attitude for a certain length of time, your pretty much standing in line to get it next. Instead of catching this illness, we should strive to avoid it. We can avoid getting that bad attitude and cure someone Else's too. If we listen to God as he says, "Do not do as they do.", our character can be the shining star that he wants us to have. Let us shine our light for the Lord! Stand out and be different! The choice is yours.