Sound character demands sound doctrine. If I allow the Word to come alive in me, sound doctrine will lead to sound character (Titus 2:1-10).
The fruit of my character is the truth of how well I know God. I can’t claim to love God and obey His Word if my character is wild and unrestrained (Titus 1:10-16; 2:11-14), because who He is and what He says shape who I am (3 John 1:2-3, 11).
Fruitful character is Christlike character. If I reflect Jesus in the way I live, I show that I know Him and I follow what He says. His love in me pours out of me, and that’s where good works come from (3 John 1:5-7).
I am “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10), which means that if I remain in Him, everything I do will flow from being one with Him, “for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
If the fruit of my character is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), it shows that He’s shaping the sound doctrine in me to transform me from the inside out (John 14:15, 26; Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
Paul said, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2b), because only the Word of God can renew your mind to the ways of God.
Only the Word of God can renew your mind to the ways of God.
Because sound doctrine comes from the Word, if I allow the Word to come alive in me, then I’m renewing my mind with it. I’m allowing it to shape me, to change the way I think, to transform me (change my form) so I live like a child of God who’s not of this world.
So, what it does it mean to let the Word of God come alive in me?
It means to let it sink deep into my heart and take root there so it bears good fruit in my life over time (Luke 8:8, 15).
Let’s say the Bible tells you to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4a) and you decide to live it out. The longer you meditate on that verse, pray it over yourself, and look for ways to apply it, the deeper you hide it in your heart.
The fruit of that is when you rejoice in the Lord even when your world is falling down, because the reason for your joy is in Jesus and not in how things look or how you feel.
Sound character from sound doctrine. See how that works?
What does your character look like today? How is your fruit reflecting Jesus because it’s cultivated by the Holy Spirit in you? Whose doctrine do you live by, and is it something that glorifies Jesus?
In the end, your life is a mirror of how well you know Jesus and how closely you walk with Him.
If you want to “prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2), that only comes from sound doctrine and being in Jesus (John 15:4-5). That’s what determines the fruit of your character and shapes the trajectory of your life and your eternity.
Sound character demands sound doctrine. May you have the boldness to always choose the truth of the Word.
Hallelujah!!
“Only the Word of God can renew your mind to the ways of God” 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you Otiti 😊
Hiii, Mama! Thank you for reading! 🤗🤗