Life's Daily Challenge Devotional

Established character

“A man is not established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous cannot be moved," Prov. 12:3.

"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God," Romans 10:3.

To God’s established one,

The Christian having his heart and footsteps established in Christ is well on His way to an established life. There is one vital mistake that he can make though. Having an established heart gives you good intentions. But intentions are sometimes misguided. Having established footsteps means that you are listening to God and heading in the right direction. Many have begun this way only later to discover that somewhere down the line they had veered off track. Where they had once followed the voice of God, somehow they began mistaking His voice for another. The vital mistake often comes when believers begin to draw from the wrong source. If they’re not careful they begin to develop faith in their ability to do what God expects of them. Faith in Christ is exchanged for faith in their faith.

Our faith must be in Christ’s character rather than in our own performance. True Godly character can only come from exchanging who we are with who God is. Too many times Christians become proud in the midst of their God-given victories. They take on a false humility. They work as hard as they can to develop their own righteousness, faith, love, etc. This is like a tree straining to bear fruit. It just doesn't work. What it does do is self-focus the once God-focused believer. This Pharisaical spirit can only pollute and devastate the one who possesses it. It will also infect many who come into contact with it. Our only goodness... our only righteousness... our only faith is in the person of Jesus Christ. We can not bear any good fruit without Him. Good fruit comes only as we abide in Him and let His life flow through us like sap through a vine (read John 15). In Him our character is truly established!