Competence
We are called to do our best. 1
Corinthians 10:31 tells us, “Whether you eat of drink, or
whatever you do. Do it all for the glory of God.” This may
not seem like a big thing, especially if you work in an
environment where 15 minute breaks are typically stretched
into 25, however, our work ethic does matter. If we slack
off at work, it is more than just a poor reflection on us,
it’s a poor reflection on Christ. Before his ministry, Jesus
was a carpenter. What if he had done poor work? There would
be people who would remember it and when his ministry began
they wouldn’t want to hear anything that he said.
When God calls us to do something, he
wants our best. The Israelites of Malachi’s day were
chastised because they did not give God the best, which is
what he had asked. Our everyday lives are a reflection of
our spiritual lives. If we aren’t willing to give God our
best, we aren’t going to give anyone else our best effort
either and other people will notice it.
Character
This is like competence in that we are
a reflection of Christ. The word Christian literally means
“little Christ.” It is hard to convince people to listen to
us normally but if we lack character, it is almost
impossible. It is hard to listen to politicians talk about
the need to raise taxes because of a tight budget when they
have just voted for a raise for themselves.
As Christians, we say that following
God is important but if we are shown to be without
character, it is awfully hard to take us seriously. Why
should anyone want to follow God because of our testimony
when we aren’t even capable of doing so?
If we are caught cheating on our taxes
or our spouse it greatly affects our credibility. If you
mention the word “televangelist” to someone you’ll likely
get a cringe from them. I still cringe when I hear the word.
Why have televangelists lost the ability to effectively
proclaim the gospel? They lacked character. The 1980’s
brought about high profile affairs, healing for dollars, and
embezzlement. Not everyone on TV then was bad and certainly
not everyone on TV today is bad but because of a lack of
character, all of them have been branded as untrustworthy in
many people’s eyes. Some have a distrust of preachers in
general because of the actions of a few twenty years ago.
Don’t let a lack of character paint a negative picture of
Christianity.
Next Section -
Consideration &
Courage
