21. Worship God But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. John 4:23 (NLT)
22. Worship God And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1 (NLT)
23. Obey God If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15 (NLT)
24. Serve God Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:11 (NLT)
25. Serve God for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 1 Thessalonians 1:9
27. Love Others Agape – a sacrificial love that seeks God’s best for others. It is a love of the will rather than the emotions. Counterfeit: Helping others but only because it benefits you.
28. Love Others For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 (NLT)
29. Love Others Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)
30. Love Others God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)
38. Character of Jesus “ Discipleship should be understood as a whole life process where “the inmost being of the individual takes on the quality or character of Jesus himself.” Dallas Willard
39. Character of Jesus “ The ultimate purpose of the Holy Spirit’s work in Christians is not just to give us general comfort or strength, but to change our character into that of Jesus.” Tim Keller
41. What is Character? “ Character is what a man is in the dark”. D. L. Moody
42. What is Character? Character is the standard within us which governs our moral choices. Christ-like character implies that we make our moral choices based on what Jesus says is right.
43. Character of Jesus But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… Galatians 5:22-23
44. Importance of Character We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)
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47. Importance of Character In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. 1 Timothy 3:8-10 (NLT)
48. Importance of Character He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 10:9 and 11:3
49. Importance of Character May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you. Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. (read whole Psalm) Psalm 25:21 and 26:1
50. Importance of Character Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Psalm 15:1-4 (NLT)
51. Grow in Character By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT)
52. Grow in Character In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NLT)
53. Grow in Character The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. 2 Peter 1:8-9 (NLT)