our characters and what to do about them

Q: I have often wondered and prayed and asked God continually for understanding.
Q: When it is our effort to move forward and when is it time to wait patiently?
Q: What part do I play in this plan and how does it all work together?

Q: I have been asking these questions my whole Christian life and haven’t you also wondered these things? By God’s leading grace, I found these answers in the Bible and in SOP. Read the parable of the Talents in Christ’s Object Lessons.

It is up to us to begin work on our characters… we cannot just sit around in limbo and hope that lightning will strike us and we are changed. Or think that ‘OH, we are waiting for the latter rain..’ It does not happen this way… It is not by accident. God expects the highest standard. He expects perfection from us.

“A noble character is earned by individual effort though the merits and grace of Christ. God gives us the talents, the powers of the mind we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies.”. ( 331) And our bad habits.
“Heavenly intelligences will work with the human agent who seeks with determined faith that perfection of character which will reach out to perfection in action…. Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you. The will of man cooperates with the will of God.”(332)

1. We should look to Jesus, the perfect pattern;
2. we should pray for the aid of the Holy Spirit,
3. and in His strength we should seek to train every trait of our characters…

“His angels are appointed to watch over us…. The angels will be by our side, prompting us to a better course, choosing our words for us, and influencing our actions.”(342) Then it is us that must choose to do these things even though it may be difficult, challenging and new to us.

Making a new path illustration…. If you ride your bike down a dirt path on your daily mission, it will be difficult to change. Take a different route one that may even be shorter. For a while it may be rough going through the vegetation but after many times you will have a nice path. And, the old one will start to fill in with vegetation. This is what happens in our minds when we make new and better choices. The old path is easy but the new one is difficult at first but with much repetition it will be workable. We can be instructed along the new and better choice pathway step by step. Daniel did this… Joseph did this… there could not be found mistakes in any of the things that they did because they had heavenly instruction along the way.

Isa 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. says that we will hear in one’s mind or heart and are bidden to walk this way and choose the right course directionally or morally.

“We have no time to waste, no time to devote to selfish pleasure, no time for indulgence of sin. It is now that we are to form characters for the future, immortal life. “(342)