When considering men and women of God found in the Bible we find
that
each character displayed certain qualities which set them apart from
others who were not God’s servants. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob
and Moses, to name a few, had developed Godly personalities and
spiritual qualities during their lifetime.
For example, these individuals devoted their lives to serving the true
God and endeavored to apply God’s principles daily. In so doing they
each reaped spiritual blessings and led successful lives. Abraham and
Sarah expressed their strong faith in God by their works. Abel had a
heart of righteousness and his offerings (sacrifices) to God were made
with a pure motive.
On the other hand, Cain had nurtured jealousy and became filled
with unrighteousness in his heart which led him to kill his brother,
Abel, because Abel's works and sacrifices were righteous.
In the case of Noah, he displayed complete obedience to God. At that
time it had never rained on earth before. Yet, when God instructed Noah
to build an ark due to an impending flood which was to be brought about
by God's own hand, Noah had faith in God to the extent that he built
the ark. By doing just so as the Bible scripture indicates Noah saved
his life and the lives of his family.
Abraham is another outstanding example of faith. God called
Abraham His
friend. When God tested Abraham's faith and loyalty to God by
requesting that he sacrifice his own son Isaac, Abraham was prepared to
carry out God's request. Only God, via his angel, stopped Abraham from
carrying this out. This indicated what was in Abraham's heart - that he
loved God so much that he did not hold back his own son; thereby
prefiguring God's ultimate act of love when he sacrificed His own son,
Jesus, in order to save many. What of Sarah, how did she show complete
faith in God? Sarah had grown old and had been unable to bear children.
However, after an angel had foretold that Sarah will conceive a son and
that the promised seed would come from Abraham, Sarah (previously
called Sarai), demonstrated complete faith and confidence in this
promise. Indeed, she became pregnant with Isaac, and God named her
Sarah - meaning princess of many nations In her old age, when Sarah had
ceased menstruating, she miraculously conceived a child by God's will.
This materialised due to Sarah's complete faith in Gods promise and
thereby proved that she believed.
Many years later, Sarah's grandson,
Jacob displayed deep appreciation for spiritual matters. Indeed, there
were several occasions when Jacob wrestled, even with an angel, in
order to gain blessings from God. On one occasion Jacob negotiated with
his brother Esau to give away his spiritual inheritance for a bowl of
stew. Consequently, Esau gave his spiritual inheritance to Jacob; much
to Esau’s own disappointment many years later. In the book of Hebrews
God is quoted as saying: "Jacob I loved but Esau I hated, for in
exchange of a bowl of stew he gave away his spiritual birthright".
Jacob later became father of the nation of Israel, God's chosen people.
Finally, when we consider Moses it seems that he was greatly blessed by
God. God is recorded in the Bible as expressing how he felt about
Moses. God described Moses as the meekest man in all the earth.
God approved Moses to the extent that God spoke to Moses directly. The
Bible states that had Moses not existed God would have spoken through
angels, prophets, and visions. However, it was the quality of humility
which endeared God to Moses such that God spoke to Moses and
showed His Glory only to him. Subsequently, God chose Moses as leader
of His people, the nation of Israel. Moses led God's people from the
bondage of slavery to Pharoah, out of Egypt, to the Promised Land
wherein Israel was destined to receive great blessings from God's
Rulership If we are to tease out the essential qualities or ingredients
which identify these faithful people in the past as Godly, what could
they be?
Let us consider what each Bible character displayed:
(1) Faith(2) Love(3) Devotion(4) Complete obedience to God(5) Deep
appreciation for spiritual blessings(6) Humility
Without the above-mentioned qualities it would be Impossible to please
God well. Indeed, these are the essential ingredients necessary to
build a Christian personality.
Centuries later,
Jesus displayed the above qualities perfectly which thereby enabled the
salvation of Humankind. Such godly qualities are as important now as
they were in ancient times. These personality traits formed the
spiritual man. Without them, thoseBible characters could not have
served God faithfully and receive spiritual blessings.If we were to
consider an analogy. Bread, for example, has existed throughout the
ages as a staple diet for mankind.
Whilst today we may enjoy a variety of breads, there are still
essential ingredients which must be incorporated when making a loaf of
bread. Certain essential ingredients include, flour, water, yeast and
salt. Without these ingredients, we would not be baking bread but some
other food source. As we can see from this analogy, people may inherit
different types of personality traits eg. shy, introverted,
extroverted, quiet, placid and gregarious. However, certain core
traits, which identify a true Christian, must be manifested. These
traits or qualities are: faith, love, devotion, complete obedience to
God, deep appreciation for spiritual blessings and humility. These
personality qualities identify an individual as a spiritual person.
Indeed these constitute the identifying mark of a true Christian. Jesus
Christ is our role model as he displayed these qualities perfectly when
he walked the earth. We do well to look to Jesus' example in living our
life as true Christians, as His disciples. The above ingredients
highlighted are essential if we are to be approved by God. Everything
else would appear inconsequential without these essential ingredients
of a Godly personality.
Therefore, if we wish to have a closer relationship with God and His
Son, Jesus, we must exhibit these same core spiritual qualities. Many
rich blessings lie in store for all those who love God and have
implicit faith in His promises. We are sure to enjoy a peaceful and
prosperous life now and in the future when Jesus will govern righteous
humans on earth in God’s Kingdom. As Jesus states in John 10:10-11:
...I have come that they might have life and might have it in
abundance. I am the fine shepherd, the fine shepherd surrenders his
soul in behalf of the sheep. Let us all continue to grow into the
spiritual person who will inherit God’s Kingdom and his righteousness.
Amen!