April 21 – The Measure of Character

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”—1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (KJV)

Through His inspired apostle, Christ has given us the standard of character shaped by divine love. We are called to bear the marks of Christ and reflect His likeness. This example is set before us so we may understand the possibilities and heights we can reach in and through Christ. The standard He presents is perfection in Him—and by His merits, that standard is attainable. We fall short only because we are satisfied with earthly aims rather than setting our gaze on the heavenly. It is by beholding Christ that we are changed from glory to glory. The eyes fixed on the ordinary must be lifted to the eternal.

No one has ever fully comprehended the nature of God or the character of His Son. We must come to know Him through living experience.

This life is our time of probation. God places us under His discipline and authority to develop character and form habits for the higher life to come. Temptations will certainly come—so will trials, opposition, loss, and suffering—but Christ Himself walked this path before us. These experiences are of great value; their benefits are not confined to this brief life but extend into eternity.

Every scene in this life, where we are called to play a role, should be thoughtfully studied—they are all part of our spiritual training. We must lay solid beams in the building of character, for we are preparing not only for this life but for the life to come. As Earth’s history nears its close, our progress in Christian growth will either accelerate—or we will fall back just as quickly.

Mercy and truth have met together in Christ; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. It is when we come before His throne, offering repentance, praise, and thanksgiving, that we are perfecting the Christian character and revealing Christ to the world. You are in Christ, and Christ is in you.