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by Wayne Blank
Character Comes From Experience
Character cannot be instantly created. It comes from all of the experiences, good or bad, that we have had. If God created us as the spirit beings that we have the potential to become (see Why Were You Born? and If You Could Create A World), without our physical phase, we would not be the same. We would be much less, in some ways merely an empty shell.
Our life now also enables us to develop the ability to "stick with it" when things get difficult. Just as we expect God to never quit on us, He expects us to never quit on Him -
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by The Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." (Romans 5:1-5)
God's Own Example
When Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of humanity, why did He bother to live a physical existence for over thirty years before fulfilling His mission? Why not have just let Herod kill Him as an infant? Why did He live a physical life, just as we have now, for so many years? The amazing answer is in your Bible -
"Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has gone through the heavens [see A Picture Of Heaven], Jesus The Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one Who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
It's been said that a good leader would not ask anything of his followers that he wouldn't do himself. Jesus Christ is The Absolute Good Leader. The Lord isn't expecting anything from us that He didn't require of Himself. He knows the struggle, because He has lived it - and fortunately for us, He never gave up.
Fact Finder: What does the Bible say about giving up on life?
See Is Suicide A Sin?
