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 boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
-Romans 5:1-11
Character is easy to spot. Whether someone has good character or bad, you can tell very quickly. It’s not only in a relationship with Jesus that character is important, either. The world values character! Good character traits include honesty, ambition, courage, resilience, integrity, compassion, etc. Bad traits are arrogance, impatience, selfishness, greed, disrespect, etc. Just reading that list is uncomfortable! Character matters to everyone. It’s universal because it’s a reflection of our likeness to God—we’re all made in His image!
Verses 2-4 of this passage say, “And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Character produces hope! Our interactions with people, when we’ve given our lives to Jesus and reflect Godly character, produce hope.
When you interact with people, especially as a follower of Jesus, think about how you’re producing hope in others. When you leave a conversation, does it produce hope? When you meet a stranger, did you walk away inspiring hope? If we consider our actions (and our character) as a way to put hope into the lives of those around us, we can make Kingdom impact.
So, how is your character inspiring hope today?