Good Character, Morality, and the Power of Love

Does character count?
What does it mean to be a person of "good character"? I've heard this recommendation often -- "Lisa, make sure to marry a person of good character". I'm not sure what like looks like, so I thought I'd surf the web to find out more.

I found the Six Pillars of Character, in association with Character Counts, a non-profit assocation for teaching character education in schools:

1. trustworthiness
2. respect
3. responsibility
4. fairness
5. caring
6. citizenship

These are all great virtues, but do you really think you can muster up the ability, absent of God's power, to have them? I don't. I mean these are great characteristics, and they are evident in a moral person, but is that enough to prove good character?

Morality
I remember Pastor Gregg saying in a sermon recently, "Good [moral] people don't go to heaven. Only Holy people do". Amen. I think the basis of good character comes not from morality but from love.

The Fruit of Good Character
Jesus talks about the mouth speaking out of the overflow of the heart. What's inside you will come out, the facade of good virtues will not stay. I've heard it likened to toothpaste. Squeeze and see what comes out. When I was in Capernaum I saw a huge olive press. Our guide said something I'll never forget, "the quality of the oil cannot be known until the olive has been pressed". And we humans are exactly the same way. Jesus teaches us the way to build good character, especially when struggles come... and we all know about those, don't we?. Luke wrote about it:

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:43-48

The Way of Love
I think true character is derived from the love of Christ and that love expressed. I think 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 does a nice job of summing it up. I'll leave you with The Message version:

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing
but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing
all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that
says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I
give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a
martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I
believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love
cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the
sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the
flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks
for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. Love never
dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will
end; understanding will reach its limit.

All for now,
Lisa