Week 3 - Bearing Fruit: Character - Day 13 - Wednesday

Written by Kelly Dagley
Any artist needs to develop their craft, usually with years of training and practice in the basic skills needed in their medium. Just like an athlete must train their body with drills, conditioning, and practice, so must the artist practice to master their art. What are some skills you might need to practice in order to join God in developing your Character?

Many artists train in special schools or work as apprentices. Our church is a place of training. We come together to learn from those who are more advanced than ourselves and to practice with each other. Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” We are to be resources for each other; our gifts to be used not just for our own benefit but also for the church as a whole.

Scripture:
• Philippians 4:4-9. Anytime we go about “doing” something, we need to be reminded that this “doing” is not done to put God in our debt. We are not earning anything. We do these things out of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us.
• John 15:1-17. Remember you do not have to do this on your own! In this process you have been abiding in Christ and becoming more aware of His presence and direction.

Reflection:
• Now that you have an idea of what the masterpiece of your character should look like, how do you plan on getting there?
• What drills or disciplines do you need?
• Who can you talk to in order to get help, advice, and encouragement?
• Reflect also on how God has already done some of this work in your life.

Practice:
• Visit the “Spiritual Disciplines” page of the Sojourners website. Explore the disciplines and pray about which one you might commit to.