Don’t be fooled: Character matters

By Scott Higgins

The Times, Jul 12, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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(Scott Higgins is the new evangelist with the Tualatin Valley Church. The church is meeting in the Tualatin Valley Heritage Center located at 8700 S.W. Sweek Drive. Service is Sundays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For more information, please call 503-536-5807 or visit www.tualatinvalleychurch.com.)

It has been very refreshing over the last few years to watch our beloved Portland Trailblazers dismantle a very disruptive and dysfunctional team and rebuild it with the motto that “character matters.” It is energizing to be able to follow a team that has heard the public outcry and decided to do something about it.

It got me thinking about Christianity and the emphasis on Godly character in the Bible. God has always built his team with the motto “character matters,” but the stakes are much higher. Instead of a potential world championship, God’s team is playing for eternal life!

Character is built by knowing the word of God and obeying it. In Acts 17:5, the people of Berea are praised for their noble character. The verse says that they had good character because “they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

Godly character comes from the word of God. One must study the Bible to know how to behave in a Godly way. Too many times someone blindly accepts teaching from a pastor, teacher or parent and doesn’t weigh that against the word of God. The noble character of the people of Berea was proven by their careful study of the teachings of Paul against the word of God. Their willingness to study and question even the teachings of an Apostle was something for which they were praised. We also should have such a depth of character that we will honestly examine the scriptures to see if what we believe is in line to the word of God.

Character needs to be guarded. 1 Corinthians 15:33 also tells us more about developing Godly character. That passage says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ ” The people that we surround ourselves with definitely influence the type of person we become.

This passage is a great warning to us not to think we know better and cannot be misled, or that we are exempt from our own self-deception. If you are around people who do not honor God for long periods of time it will affect you. It will turn your character away from God and toward the world!

As the Bible has told us and the Portland Trailblazers have learned, character matters. I pray we will realize these teaching, examine the scriptures for the teachings of God, and to guard our lives from evil influences. God’s team demands good character.

Come be part of a guaranteed winning team!