Character

You are listening to daily insights on the three ABN Radio Network. And here is your host, Kaysie Butler. Hello. It's a pleasure to have you join with me for today. Do you know it has been said that God is a lover of the beautiful, but that which he loves most is a beautiful character. That's found in the book my Life Today, page 270. Why does God love a beautiful character most? Because God's character is beautiful. And if we have a beautiful character, that means we are reflecting what God is like. And that in turn means that God's plan of restoring us to his image has been successful in our lives. We're going to explore this topic of character a little bit more in our time together today. And first of all, I want to play to you a song called To Be Like Jesus and it's sung by Steve Dharmody. And it basically describes a little bit about what Jesus is like and what it means for us to be like Him. A little boy is crying for affection a little girl needs a hand to hold and, oh, how he loves those little children how he longs to be a friend too young and old his tender spirit welcomes all who seek Him. His giving heart asks little in return and I have found it promises I seek to live my life that I to be like Jesus. To be like Jesus. May all who see my heart find Him in me. When I received his supreme salvation his heavenly love filled my earthly soul and I became his new creation. My brokenness he made completely whole. And through the darkness of this world, I commissioned real light that shines for him alone, surrounded by his infant mercy. May my life always be known to be like Jesus, to be the one I was created to be. Like Jesus to be like Jesus my only earthly go when I'm center in his will may all who see my life find in me that was To Be Like Jesus by Steve Domini to Be Like Jesus you know, for many of us, sin and our own choices have made a mess of our characters. But there is hope, because God actually wants to work with us to help us be more like Jesus too. Ellen White made a profound statement about this in Desire of Ages, page 827, and it says Christ is sitting for his portrait in every disciple. Can you picture it? There is a canvas set up and next to it, Christ is seated and the master artist is ready to paint Christ's portrait on the canvas. Now, metaphorically speaking, we are the canvas and Christ is right near to us in his word. And as we behold Christ, God, the master artist is ready to paint Christ's character in our lives as we consent to it. The next song for today expresses this idea as it talks about letting Christ shine into our lives so we can reflect his character. It's sung by Christian Edition, a men's vocal group, and it's called Day Star. Lily of the valley let your sweet aroma fill my life rose of Sharon show me how to grow in beauty in God 10,000 make me a reflection of your love days are shined out on me let your love shine through me in the dark easy Lord I follow anywhere you open the Lord see to me show me what I never see before I want to be a witness. You can take what's wrong and make it wrong. Days I shine on me? Let your love shine through me in the night lord I see a world that's dying? Wounded by the master of defeating in the darkness? Haunted by the years of pasty? But then I see you standing near me, Lord shining with compassion in your eyes I pray taste shine down on me let your love shine through me in the night anywhere you open up the door let your words be to me show me what I never see before lord, I want to be a witness you can take what's wrong and make it wrong taste I shine down on me let your love shine through me jesus. Christian. Edition singing Day Star a story is told by Kay and Jan Kuzma once upon a time, there was a man who wanted to build a house. I'll help you, said his neighbour. I've built many houses before. No, I don't need your help. I want to do it myself, replied the man. But I have a special material called cement for the foundation of the house. No one else has it. It is strong and durable and will last a lifetime if you only use it. And I'll let you have it free if you'll just ask me. In fact, I'm willing to share it with anyone who asks. No, replied the man. This is my house and I'm going to build it my way. So the man began to build. He mixed dirt and water together to make a sticky mud to hold the stones in the foundation together. And as he mixed, his neighbor came by again. I'm glad you're using stones for your foundation. You have some good material for building, but it will be of no use unless you can hold those stones together with cement. I'll be happy to give you more than enough cement if you just ask me. No, said the man, I want to do it myself. So he used mud to hold the stones together. The foundation did look nice. No one could tell the difference at first, that is. But soon the mud began to dry and it wasn't sticky anymore. And it began to crumble. And when the windstorms came, it began to blow away. And when the rainstorms came, it began to wash away. Finally, when there was nothing to hold the stones together, they began to fall away and then the house fell down and all the man's hard work went for nothing. This story is an illustration of character building and how important it is to make Christ, who is represented by the cement in this story, part of the foundation of our characters. We can do nothing without Christ and it's so important to depend on Him for character building. It says in the Bible that by beholding we become changed. And the more we look to Christ and see what he is like, the more we become like Him. Our next song, sung by the wilds, is called Full of Thee and it expresses the keen desire to be fully like Christ. As the earth is full of beauty, as the sun is full of light as the oceans swell with water and the mountains burst with height overwhelm my soul with you, Lord, like the waters fill the sea give me jesus without measure let my heart be full of the you come as beauty that come as joy that loves my soul come as wisdom to me may I yield to your own every morning every morning give me Jesus without me let my heart be jeffrey my purpose be my passion set my with soul. Every word, every action. I Jesus without me as I heart Jesus, that my heart. Fill my with your spirit let the empty heart remain where I conquer give me Jesus, Jesus without me that my heart. One of the wonderful things about developing a character like Christ is that it helps other people to know what God is like. Robert Hare writes a very thought provoking poem called The Gospel According to you. It says, there's a sweet old story, translated for man, but written the long, long ago the Gospel According to Mark, Luke and John of Christ and his mission. Below, men read and admire the Gospel of Christ with its love so unfailing and true but what do they say and what do they think of the Gospel According to you? Tis a wonderful story, that gospel of love as it shines in the Christ life divine and, oh, that its truth might be told again in the story of your life and mine unselfishness mirrors in every scene love blossoms on every sod and back from its vision the heart comes to tell the wonderful goodness of God you are writing each day a letter to men. Take care that the writing is true. Tis the only gospel that some men will read the Gospel According to you how we live our lives can have a profound impact on others. Our next song for today is called I Saw Jesus In You. Listen carefully to the words. It talks about God seeing Jesus in us and others seeing Jesus in us. And it's by Ron and Shelley Hamilton. I will over him and all the years of pray that I find a special in the time I thought I was watching you I thought Jesus I saw Jesus can I call it to be seen? I dream I might only face in all the place on earth is and I see the word what I want to hear. I saw Jesus. I thought jesus. I believe I saw Jesus in your eyes. I saw each day, I would be all and I saw it. The closing song for today is Make Me Like Jesus. And it's sung by Jennifer Mountain. May this be our heartfelt prayer teach me, Father, what to say teach me, Father, how to pray teach me the teach me how we may be one I i will be like Jesus lord, make me like you, please. Make me like you. Make me want to lord. I am willing to what you must do to make me like you, Lord. Make me like you. I would be like Jesus. I would be like Jesus. Have real and more like Jesus. One final thought to share with you today. It has been observed that character is like paper. It is much easier to keep it white than to clean it after it is soiled. It's so true, isn't it? Let's keep our characters white by staying close to Jesus. Well, I hope you've been inspired by today's program. And I'm Kaysie Butler. And until next time, may God richly bless you as you grow to be more like him. You've been listening to a production of three ABN Australia radio.