The Content of Christian Character

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
-Martin Luther King, Jr. August 18, 1963

For those who know me, I have my bachelor's degree in history, and Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the most impressive historical figures to study and admire. This little excerpt from King's, "I have a dream," speech, addresses a trait I want to ponder. The trait I am interested in is character.

Character is defined as a description of a person's attributes, traits, or abilities. So, when determining one's character, in all probability we would, or at least should, search for positive attributes. Because this blog views the world in a Biblical, or more particularly, a specific Christian viewpoint, I will put Dr. King's dream under Christian scrutiny.

Romans 5:3-5 says that, "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces proven character and proven character produces hope." These versus tell us that as we continue to have faith and hope in God, He will use that perseverance in seeking Him to help build our character as Christians.

Now I wonder how many of us continue to persevere to find His favor. In reference to Dr. King, I find that most people in today's society find it easier to judge people not by the color of their skin. But it is apparent that the difficulty lies within the judging of people by the content of their character, fore the lack of Christian character lies deeply rooted into the souls of most. Finding someone who possesses Christian values can be difficult, much less finding someone who has a great deal of Christian character.

There are many who believe that God does indeed exist, but there are few who live for Him.

"I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." -MLK. Have you discovered Someone you would die for? If not, you may not be fit for eternal life.

-Brian