A question for checking your character …

Early this morning I was listening to a couple former pro football players discussing on a radio program their opinion that coaches used to be more concerned about the character development of the athletes they coached rather than focusing solely on their athletic performance.

In our modern culture, there’s not much emphasis on, or importance given, to personal character, but there should it. It was the late coach, John Wooden, who once said, “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

If you were to make an honest assessment of “who you are” — if you were to step back and assess your character — what would you see?

There’s a question that is helpful for keeping us more honest in our assessment of our character, and it comes from something Jesus said in a lively conversation recorded in John 8, that begins with verse 12 (I encourage you to pause here and read John 8:12-48, or grab your Bible to use for the rest of this post). That conversation builds to a blunt and sobering warning from Jesus in verse 21:

“Later Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.'”

This conversation continues through verses 22 to 33, and then the people try to lean on their reputation (rather than their character), first stating they are descendants of Abraham, then finally claiming in verse 41, “… God himself is our true Father.”

At that, Jesus speaks very directly:

“Jesus told them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God,” John 8:42-47.

At that, the people unleash the biggest insult they could think of off the top of their heads: “The people retorted, ‘You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?'” John 8:48.

They had to be fairly angry to call Jesus a “Samaritan devil”! It’s because He looked past their faux reputation and saw their true character.

But notice something Jesus said earlier about the character of Satan, who Jesus calls the real “father” of the people who were arguing with Him:

“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies,” John 8:44.

That which comprises our character are the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that are consistent. In Satan’s case, lying is consistent with his character.

When you step back and honestly assess your own character, what is consistent? It’s those consistent elements that are most revealing of what your character really is, regardless of your reputation.

Scotty