7. Quest for Character

Character. A word that has been lost to many in our culture. In fact, most teenagers have no idea what character even is, let alone what God desires our character to be. Whether in the workplace, school, or even the pulpit (biblical) character just doesn’t seem that important anymore. Our society idolizes celebrities, sport figures, and even politicians who are less than “ideal characters”. Why is this? Maybe because character or having integrity is seen as being prude or old fashioned? A man or woman with strong character don’t seem to succeed as much in the world’s eyes, as opposed to a pride-filled selfish person. Remember, we live in a very individualistic culture which focuses on “self”. When an individual’s constant focus is on self, character is pushed aside for self. ME.

As Fathers, how can we reverse this selfish mentality (which is encouraged by our culture) with our children? First, I would say we need to be good model of character ourself. Second, we need to teach our children God’s Word and what character traits He expects us to have as believers in Him. What better example of character do we have than Jesus Christ? May we, like the Apostle Paul, say to our children, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ”.

In this lesson we are going to study specific portions of scriptures which focus on the “fruit” a true believer’s character will produce. Remember, it is not us but rather Christ in us which is where we derive our character. He gets all the credit. Remember, this isn’t a thorough study on character, just a “warm-up” study. I encourage you to utilize the additional resources available (Sermons, Books, and Quotes) on character. Side Note: I would encourage you to focus on one character quality at a time and study it. The questions below are just basic and meant to introduce you to various biblical character qualities. I would encourage you to study the character qualities more in-depth by yourself. 

Questions:

1. Read: 2 Peter 1:5-8. What are the means by which a believer remains fruitful and effective for the Lord? 

2. Read: Matthew 5:3-12. What did you learn from these verses? 

3. Read: Galatians 5:16-26. What is the difference between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh? 

4. Read: 1 Corinthians 13. What did you learn from this chapter?

Pray:

• That God would further conform you and your children into the image and character of Jesus Christ.

Doers of the Word:

• Read the following articles. Train Your Children in Honesty, Your Children are Watching You and 49 (Biblical) Character Qualities.  Write a short paragraph about what you learned.
• Sit down with your children and discuss a biblical character trait with them. Discuss the Bible verses associated with that character trait.