Chapter 104—To Build Noble Characters
And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace.
John
1:16
, R.S.V.
God expects us to build characters in accordance with the Pattern set
before us. We are to lay brick by brick, adding grace to grace, finding our
weak points and correcting them in accordance with the directions given.
When a crack is seen in the walls of a mansion, we know that something
about the building is wrong. In our character building, cracks are often seen.
Unless these defects are remedied, the house will fall when the tempest of
trial beats upon it.
God gives us strength, reasoning power, time, in order that we may build
characters on which He can place His stamp of approval. He desires each
child of His to build a noble character, by the doing of pure, noble deeds, that
in the end He may present a symmetrical structure, a fair temple, honored by
man and God.
A noble all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by
accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits
and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we
form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict
after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have
to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain
uncorrected.
By the life we live through the grace of Christ the character is formed.
The original loveliness begins to be restored to the soul. The attributes of the
character of Christ are imparted, and the image of the Divine begins to shine
forth. The faces of men and women who walk and work with God express
the peace of heaven. They are surrounded with the atmosphere of heaven.
For these souls the kingdom of God has begun. They have Christ’s joy, the
joy of being a blessing to humanity. They have the honor of being accepted
for the Master’s use; they are trusted to do His work in His name.
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