Yesterday we looked at the sins and negative traits that needed to be removed from our lives. But what about the positive traits and qualities that need to be incorporated into our daily lives?
I remember years ago reading through the list of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 and thinking one I particularly wished I had and need to work on was gentleness. I’d never thought of myself as being a particularly gentle person so I targeted this area as one area for God to help me work on.
If you read through the bible you will come across a number or places where positive Christian character traits are listed. Some to get you started are, Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:12-17, 1 Timothy 6:11, 1 Peter 3:15. Alternatively, using a concordance along with your bible you might pick one character trait, say patience, and find out what God has to say about the matter.
Remember too, that sometimes the way we view ourselves is not quite the same way others see us. Sometimes others see in us traits that we fail to see have developed. It was only some time later, as a couple of people specifically mentioned this character trait on a card to me that I realized God had been at work answering my initial prayer for gentleness.
That’s not to say this is always the case and that gentleness or any other positive quality comes without a struggle. Our human nature does not give up easily. Just yesterday, someone I love challenged me about not being gentle and responding sharply to an email. The trouble is sins often need to be dealt with more than once and positive traits also take time to become dominant in us. But with God’s help we can do it, 1 Corinthians 15:57.
What positive character traits are you going to ask God to help you work on?
Bible verses from New International Version
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