Quality Character

You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. – Matthew 7:16-17

Waiting on a promise from God for a future and a hope can take you through many distractions, temptations, and battles of self-will. Do you have what it takes to wait?

Nobody likes to use the S-word. Self-control. Solomon said, “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28). With your defenses down, you never know what kind of person could weasel into your life. Developing that spiritual muscle of self0control will ensure that only people of quality will come into your “city.”

To judge a person’s character, ask some basic questions:

1.       How does he spend his free time?

2.       What kind of friends does she surround herself with?

3.       Is he involved in a church group, or does he volunteer anywhere?

4.       How has her walk with God grown and developed over the past five years?

5.       What does he want his life to look like in five years?

As you ask these questions, you will begin to see behind a person’s pretty intentions. In dating, people usually show you the good stuff first, but the good stuff isn’t necessarily good fruit. Do your date’s actions line up with the words they speak? The Bible is pretty clear: a godly person can’t produce bad character, and a bad person can’t produce good character.

Prayer: That you fro giving me the insight to see the true character of the people in my life. Open my eyes to the good in people, and teach me to see them the way you see them. In your name, Amen.