No matter how much you talk, it’s your character that matters

Poatina Morning tea devotion given yesterday

I’ve been doing a series of devotions from Galatians, but also relooking at “The 8th Habit” by Steven Covey. I find it really helpful. It’s about knowing your story and helping others find theirs. In it there’s a chapter called “The voice of Trustworthiness”.

One of his quotes was from “Stormin’ Norman”, the American General who led the US Army during first Gulf War, in its assault on Kuwait. General Norman Schwarzkopf said,

“I’ve met a lot of leaders in the army who were very competent, but they didn’t have character. For everything they did they sought reward and a road to the top. They were competent but they lacked character. Others had superb character but lacked competence. – weren’t able to go the 2nd mile.”

Paul wrote to the Galatians who were focussed on competence, on rules and regulations. He spends the first 4 chapters telling them they are idiots : “What are you doing? how can you live like this?” If you are not having a relationship with God that’s real, then these are probably ways you will be acting.

It’s interesting with this life. It’s easy to focus on what we don’t do. Some stuff like repetitive sexual immorality, it’s easy to focus on that and think we don’t do that. But Paul roles out a whole list. (Gal 5: 16 – 19)

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;
trinket gods where you want stuff to make you feel good.
magic-show religion;
paranoid loneliness;
cutthroat competition;
all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants;
a brutal temper;
a grab to love or be loved;
divided homes and divided lives;
small-minded and lopsided pursuits;
the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival;
uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions;
ugly parodies of community.”

It’s pretty direct. You can pretend. You can turn up for Church. But if your paradigm is not right, if you are not living from Jesus as the centre it will show. Richard Branson founder and owner of Virgin Blue, said he learned to hire for character but not competence. He said, you can train people to be competent if first they have the right character.

Paul says,

“This isn’t the first time I’ve warned you, if you’ve used your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.” (vs 21)

He’s saying you’ve got to change your heart, not your behaviour. When we are coming from a loving relationship with Jesus he brings gifts into our lives – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. A willingness to stick with things. A real understanding there is a beautiful part in everyone. This village is a beautiful place. When we are coming from this centre we find ourselves in loyal commitments…recognizing that each one of us is an original.

I have said before, I love the fact that our training came from a struggle with life and it’s reflected in our character. But there is a danger that you start trusting in the training. When I am feeling a long way from God it shows in my behaviour: whether I have space for you, for my kids; for our kids! The idea of community can be an ideology. The person who loves community kills community. It’s the person that loves people who builds community.

I think we’ve been through a really tough time as a community and that hasn’t always brought out the best in us. When you refine gold you put it under heat and all the rubbish rises to the surface – not to put too fine a point on it – but a question is, what does it mean to scrape off the crap and come from a heart that loves Jesus, to move past division, gossip and rumour, to really love, not because we think we have to but because we know Jesus loves us.

I think we need to start the Fusion mandate, (II Cor 5: 15 to 17) so it begins in Vs 14. There a danger of becoming activist but verse 14 says,” For Christ’s love compels us”. That verse means we are compelled by both our love for Jesus and by his love for us. If it’s coming from anywhere else it’s not going to work. So we need to be good at reading at our own behaviour, the behaviour of others – not to judge, but recognizing the behaviour comes from somewhere.