Character, what is it? Character is: “Who you are when you are alone.” It’s who we are when no one can see or know what you are doing.
D.L Moody puts it this way: “Character is what you are in the dark.”
Today, let’s look at a Psalm written by David, either as young boy or a teenager. He was out on the field, looking after his sheep, all alone. He could have spent all of his time daydreaming about the latest superhero, being the hero in his own story or writing a story. However, we see that he took time every day to think about God and to learn from God. This shows us how he grew up to become a man after God’s own heart.
Acts 13:22 tells us what God had to say:
“But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.'”
Let’s Look At Psalm 19
Conclusion
David had to take the time to develop his character. During this time of development, he would seek God’s presence, be consistent in prayer, would listen to see what God would have him do and then he would do it.
I like the fact that David was totally reliant on God. Did he ever make unwise choices and go against what God was telling him?
Of course.
However, he always came back to the last three verses of this psalm.
- God cleanse me from secret faults (v12)
- Keep me from presumptuous sins (v13) (It’s done knowingly)
- Help me to let Your Words be the meditation of my heart.
David wanted what came out of the abundance of his heart to be godly. He wanted to be an excellent advertisement of how great Christ is. In order to do this, David, stayed surrendered to God and repented when his sins were pointed out to him (Think of Nathan).
Character does need to be developed. And the best character to develop is the character of Christ. We need to let Christ live His life through us.
So, the questions to ask ourselves is “Who am I when no one is looking?”
When our lives don’t line up with God’s character, we can repent and ask God, “Father help me to not sin against you, help me to seek your presence, to enjoy relationship with you and to make the changes in my life that you bring to my attention. And then help me to share what I am learning to help others in their journey to be more like you.
Thank you, God, we are becoming more like Christ day be day. And who we are, in the dark, is a reflection of You.
WHO WE ARE WILL DETERMINE WHAT WE DO!
