John Shirk

JOHN SHIRK – To accept someone is to give them a favorable reception.  We offer a gracious welcome.  It could be through a form of hospitality or kind words that express value for the other person. 

Romans 15:7 is a verse for the church to heed, regarding how we treat each other.  “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

The church can be compared to a family, where the children of God come together to bring honor to our Heavenly Father. Where family members are accepted, there is a sense of belonging. We are encouraged by the fact that we don’t have to face life’s challenges and struggles alone.  There are Christians who will support us with their friendship and prayers. 

Acceptance in the church also sends a message to a world looking on that the love of Jesus is real, and is vibrant in the heart of His followers. Jesus said to His followers, “By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Acceptance is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – To be longsuffering is to be able to endure wrongs or difficulties. Another word in the Bible with similar characteristics is patience.

When someone is insulting us or offending us with something they say, it might be tempting to retaliate.  But longsuffering teaches us to restrain from acting out in revenge.  In the midst of being provoked, God trains us to be restrained from lashing out in anger.

One of the reasons that Jesus has not yet come back is because of His longsuffering. Second Peter 3:9 says that the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  This is the way of God’s servants-to give people time to come to their senses and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Sometimes, we may have to show longsuffering, not just in the face of resistance, but open hostility.  Second Timothy 4:2 urges us to preach the Word in season and out of season-to correct, rebuke, and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.

Longsuffering is listed in the Fruit of the Spirit, and is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – To be contrite is to feel or show sorrow and remorse for a sin.  This is a humble disposition before God. The Bible tells us that God gives grace to the humble. He is willing to forgive on the basis of what Jesus did for us at the cross.

Through a contrite heart, we are ready for change.  Contriteness keeps the heart tender before God so that we are willing to adjust our desires and motivations to the way God wants them to be.

The display of a contrite heart was a turning point for David in Psalm 51.  He prayed:  “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”  David also sought God’s help to make changes in his life so that he would live in obedience to God.

He said, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  He acknowledged that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart. This same opportunity for change is possible for us. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Contriteness is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – One meaning of the word, “Undivided” is to be concentrated on one object.  To have an undivided heart toward God is to have our thoughts and affections fixed on Jesus.  He becomes the most important treasure to us. We become united with Him.

David was a man in the Bible described as a man after God’s own heart.  He prayed in Psalm 86:11, “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O LORD my God, with all my heart.”

An undivided heart will guide our footsteps in the path of God’s ways.  We will go in the same direction that God wants us to go. It is interesting to note that after God said that David was a man after His own heart, He made the statement, “He will do everything I want him to do.”  Obedience to God is the outcome of an undivided heart.

An undivided heart is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – One definition of sympathy is to have feelings or impulses of compassion.  Sympathy reaches out to a hurting or grieving person with a tender heart.  We don’t try to stop their tears.  Instead, we are willing to cry with them. 

The shortest verse in the Bible is, “Jesus wept.”  He did this at the gravesite of a dear friend.  He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses.  He does not do this from a distance. He comes to us in the midst of our pain.  He also wants His followers to get close enough to bear one another’s burdens.

First Peter 3:8 says, “Be sympathetic.” And Romans 12:15 encourages us to “mourn with those who mourn.”

Sympathy is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Trust can be described as relying on integrity, strength, ability, or certainty of a person or thing.  When we cross a bridge in our vehicle, we are exercising a certain amount of trust that the bridge will hold us up.  Another form of trust is that ropes course exercise, where a person falls back from a platform into the waiting arms of their friends.  That person who falls back is counting on his friends to catch him.  The truth of the matter is that friends will sometimes let us down when we fall in other areas of our lives, but Jesus has proven Himself to be a trustworthy Savior for our needs. His grace is able to catch our fall and lift us to a higher place of refuge.

In John 14:1, Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”  And then He told the disciples about a place in heaven that He would prepare for His followers.  Trust is a key dimension to faith.  We do not have Biblical faith without trusting in Jesus to save us from our sins.  First John 4:16 gives us this picture of trust: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”

Trust is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – To be available is to be ready for immediate use.  In our relationship with God, there are times when He is going to call us to do a specific assignment to advance the Gospel message.  Being available to God means that we offer ourselves to God as His servants.  We are willing to go on His terms rather than set our own terms for Kingdom service.

Isaiah made himself available to God with the words, “Here am I! Send me!”.  And Samuel, Israel’s trusted prophet said this when he was a boy, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening. And when Jesus came, He said, “Here I am-it is written about me in the scroll-I have come to do your will, O God.” We can make ourselves available to Him by surrendering to His plan for us. 

Romans 12:1 urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. It is through the process of surrender to God that the fog is removed and the light comes on for us to be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Availability is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Chastity is defined as moral purity.  This virtue is often put into the context of abstaining from sex outside of marriage.

First Thessalonians 4:3 tells us that “it is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body.”

Chastity certainly does involve sexual purity, but it also has wider implications for our thought life and secret ambitions, not just in the area of behavior.  It involves having a renewed mind that is focused on Jesus.  It also involves a pure heart that desires to be near God.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

When that describes our relationship with God, our choices are influenced by His plan for our lives, in the way we conduct business, the way we treat people, and the way we look at the world. Chastity is a quality that says ‘yes’ to purity and ‘no’ to anything that would pollute our mind or heart.

Chastity is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today. 

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Goodness is defined by moral excellence or virtue. Goodness is listed in the Bible as one of the ingredients of the fruit of the Spirit. Goodness is one indication that we are walking with God. Our lives reflect good deeds, spread good news, and bear good fruit.

There is sometimes a misunderstanding of the role of goodness in the Christian life. Being a good person is not our passport to heaven.  A sobering view of the human race is found in Romans 3:12, which says, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” If our salvation is measured on performance, we fall short.  Thankfully, God provided a way for us to be saved through Jesus Christ.  He was the Only One who truly measured up to moral excellence and virtue in every way. 

Reliance on Christ alone is the key to salvation.  He is the source of all that is good. At Creation, God saw all that He made and, it was very good.  Even though our heart has been corrupted by sin, the message of the cross reminds us that our hearts can be made good if we are touched by the grace of the Lord Jesus. When He becomes our Savior and Lord, He becomes our source of goodness.

Goodness is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today. 

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Hebrews 11 offers some simple definitions of faith for us to consider.

Verse 1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 

Verse 6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Faith includes an acknowledgement of God’s existence, but there is more to it than that.  Martin Luther once said, “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. It is so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” Faith involves being persuaded that Jesus is sent by God to save us from our sins.  By faith, we are trusting in Christ for salvation.  By faith, we receive His grace. By faith, we believe God’s promises.  By faith, we are able to please God.  Without faith, we are lost. With faith, God will glorify His name through our testimony for Him.

Faith is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com