J E S U S
THE STANDARD
FOR
CHARACTER
By
Arthur
Joachim
Rodricks
Walking the
earth in
these end
times, my
friends,
people are
shocked to
see so much
confusion,
deception
and
lawlessness.
So many who
I meet are
tired of
life’s
problems,
while the
others are
freely
messing up
their lives
with no
point of
return
because the
winds of
change say
that the
world is at
the peak of
human
existence:
We know
everything
about life,
we can do
all we want,
fly to any
place we
wish, we can
see and hear
everything
indoors and
outdoors,
everything
is
manageable,
life has
never been
better.
Seems a
fantastic
achievement
by man,
doesn’t it?
No! We’ve
reached the
end my
friends. For
look what I
see…
“To the time
of the end:
many shall
run to and
fro, and
knowledge
shall be
increased”
(Daniel
12:4).
Those who
are tired of
life, say to
me, “Arthur,
what’s wrong
with the
world?
Everything’s
falling
apart;
earthquakes,
tsunamis,
sink-holes,
things
aren’t
working out,
mate!” And
the latter
guys who are
chillin’ and
enjoyin’
say,
“Arthur,
mate, why
don’t you
drink and
smoke, come
with us to
pubs, clubs
and casinos,
you’re
wasting your
life, mate,
you’ve got
just one
life, you’re
young, don’t
think too
much, just
live! No
probs you’re
married, you
can still
have a
girlfriend!”
Whenever I
face such
temptations,
my friends,
I think,
maybe I am
in the wrong
place with
the wrong
people, or
maybe I’m
put here in
the right
place to be
tempted and
tried to see
what choices
I make.
These
thoughts run
through my
mind and
suddenly I
come across
this…
“Count it
all joy when
ye fall into
divers
temptations;
knowing
this, that
the trying
of your
faith
worketh
patience.
Let patience
have her
perfect
work, that
ye may be
perfect and
entire,
wanting
nothing”
(James
1:2-4).
Then to all
of them, I
smile and
say, “My
friends, if
only, you’d
take the
time to read
the Holy
Bible, you’d
know the
path I’m
walking on,
you’d know
what
happened in
the past,
what’s
happening
right now
and what
will happen
in the
future in
this world
we’re in,
with
pinpoint
accuracy.
You read
newspapers
to know what
is
happening.
Read the
Holy Bible,
for then you
will know
what will
happen
tomorrow,
you won’t
need
newspapers
to learn,
but only to
confirm.
What has
been written
has come to
pass with
one-hundred-
hundred
percent
accuracy,
and yet I
see so many
don’t know
the Word of
God which
God our
Father has
revealed for
our sake,
because He
loves us and
doesn’t want
to keep us
in darkness.
He loves
transparency,
and so, He
shows us
what will
come to
pass.
Look...
“For I am
the LORD: I
will speak,
and the word
that I shall
speak shall
come to
pass”
(Ezekiel
12:25).
My friends,
being in the
mechanical
engineering
stream, I
usually
speak
logically
explaining
that
everything
makes sense;
there’s no
magic, it’s
all logic.
There’s no
gray area,
it’s a clear
white or
black, a yes
or no. In my
previous
article “The
Only True
Purpose of
Our Life on
Earth” I had
mentioned
that we have
an example
set before
us by God
our Father,
and this
example is
Jesus, our
Lord and
Savior. Many
of you have
received
that article
with joy,
because I
wrote about
my firsthand
experiences
as a letter
to you.
My friends,
I won’t
preach or
write a book
on a plain
doctrine,
which has
not been
applied to
my life and
impacted my
walk
positively.
Just as
without the
application
of science
and
technology,
engineering
doesn’t
exist.
Likewise,
without the
application
of God’s
Word and
Holy Spirit,
holiness and
righteousness
doesn’t
exist. I’ll
maintain my
personal
experience
as a basis
in this
article too,
my friends,
so that you
all can
understand
easily. I’m
not a pastor
and I
strongly
believe that
the only
pastor is
our Lord and
Savior,
Jesus
Christ, no
one else.
“Nor are you
to be called
instructors,
for you have
one
instructor,
the Messiah”
(Matthew
23:10).
Bodybuilders
have Arnold
Schwarzenegger
as their
role model
in terms of
fitness. Has
anyone given
thought
about who
could be our
role model
for
character?
When I read
the Holy
Bible for
the first
time, the
character of
Jesus
inspired me.
He became my
role model
24/7. My
friends,
originally
JESUS was
not a human
being, He
was and is
the divine
Son of God.
Only God our
Father knows
Him, no one
else.
“No one
knows the
Son but the
Father”
(Matthew
11:27).
JESUS is a
mystery to
those who
don’t know
Him, because
they’ve not
pursued His
character.
They think
that He was
just like
us, weak and
given into
temptations
and that He
did all
things the
world does.
This is not
true, they’d
realize they
were wrong
only after
they seek
and find the
truth about
Jesus.
To
Christians,
Jesus is a
mystery too,
but
unfolding
day by day,
as He
reveals
Himself to
us. My
friends,
Jesus will
reveal
Himself to
us only if
we want to
know Him. In
fact, He
wants us to
know Him.
The moment
we pursue
the path of
knowing Him,
He
understands
us, and
gradually
reveals His
character to
us.
“Behold, I
stand at the
door, and
knock: if
any man hear
my voice,
and open the
door, I will
come into
him, and
will sup
with him,
and he with
me”
(Revelation
3:20).
Jesus being
the divine
Son of God
has many
roles. I
sought to
find out and
understand
His roles.
My fiends,
here’s hat I
found about
JESUS (with
Scripture
references).
JESUS is:
1. The
Creator.
(Genesis
1:26) (John
1:3)
2. One with
God our
Father.
(John 10:30)
(John 14:10)
3. Divine
Son of God.
(John 1:18)
4. Bread of
(Eternal)
Life. (John
6:48)
5. Door of
Heaven.
(John 10:9)
6. The Truth
(embodies
the Spirit
of Truth,
never lies,
no white
lies). (John
14:6-7)
7. Light of
the World
(source of
good and
enlightenment).
(John 9:5)
8. The
Resurrection.
(John 11:25)
9. The Good
Shepherd.
(John 10:11)
(John
10:14).
10. True
Vine. (John
15:1) (John
15:5)
11. Judge.
(John 5:22)
12. Lamb of
God (payment
for our
sins). (John
1:36)
(Revelation
5:6)
13. The Way
to the
Father.
(John 14:6)
14. The
Instructor
(pastor,
priest).
(Matthew
23:10)
15. The
Savior/
Messiah.
(Isaiah 9:6)
(Luke 2:11)
(John 4:42)
(Titus 2:13)
16. Healer.
(Matthew
4:24)
From the
sixteen
roles of
JESUS
mentioned
above, we
must
remember
that we
can't take
on any of
it. Those
are His
roles. That
is His
position. We
are His
followers.
So, my
friends, we
ought to be
like Him in
character,
not roles. I
see many
trying to
take on some
of the roles
of Jesus and
enjoying the
glory, which
is due to
Him. Jesus
takes this
very
seriously.
It offends
Him.
Contemplate
on this...
“I am the
LORD: that
is my name:
and my glory
will I not
give to
another,
neither my
praise”
(Isaiah
42:8).
To
understand
the
character of
our Lord and
Savior Jesus
Christ, I
dug deeper
to find out
and
understand
His ways,
His
behavior,
His
principles
etc. You all
know, after
we’re
born-again
of the Holy
Spirit, we
exhibit the
same
character of
Jesus,
inside out
because the
heart, mind,
soul and
spirit have
been
transformed
from within.
My friends,
the reason
why we seek
to
understand
His
character is
to verify
that we’re
truly born
again
Christians/believers,
and further,
whether
we’re not
putting
(our)
self-will
before God’s
will.
Sure thing,
we’re free
by
redemption
being taken
out of the
kingdom of
darkness and
placed into
the kingdom
of light, we
must realize
it’s not the
fallen
Lucifer and
his fallen
angels
controlling
us, it’s our
self-will
which could
go astray
from being
inline with
God’s will.
The powers
of darkness
know this
fact about
Christians
very well.
Focus...
“Every man
is tempted,
when he is
drawn away
of his own
desire, and
enticed.
Then when
desire hath
conceived,
it bringeth
forth sin:
and sin,
when it is
finished,
bringeth
forth death”
(James
1:14-15).
After
digging
deeper, to
understand
the
character of
our Lord and
Savior,
Jesus
Christ, I
found out
that His
characteristics,
based on His
ways, His
behavior,
and His
principles:
1. Obedient
Son of God.
Obedient to
God the
Father,
doing God’s
will at all
times.
(I could
speak and
write
without
ceasing, on
the depth of
His
obedience to
the Father.)
2.
Trustworthy,
unshakeable,
speaks the
truth at all
times. No
white (to
derive good)
lies.
3. No loose
talk (no
jokes,
mockery, no
abusive/profane
language).
4. No
drunkenness
(deriving
selfish
pleasure
from
alcohol,
tobacco,
drugs).
5. Hard
working, not
lazy.
6. Always
kind,
merciful and
compassionate.
7. Fiercely
brave and
longsuffering
(to death on
the cross,
knowing it
before
creation.)
8. Loving
(Agape,
selfless
love).
9. No
jealousy.
10. No
enviousness.
11. No
hatred
(loved those
who nailed
him, no
revenge, no
sarcasm).
12. No lust
(sexual).
13. No greed
(for
possessions).
14. Humble
and patient
(no pride).
15. Generous
(a heart for
the poor and
sick).
16. Focused
on needs,
not luxuries
(born in a
stable, not
a palace).
17. Made the
Father (God)
known
(spread His
Word).
18. Always
forgiving
(only love
forgives).
19. Serious
about life
and the
quality of
it (not
light
headed).
20. Talks
and walks
God’s way of
life
(holiness
and
righteousness).
21.
Masculine
(for men to
understand;
homosexuality
is a
spiritual
disorder,
which can
be healed by
repentance
and prayer.
I’ve seen
many
healed).
After going
through
these
twenty-one
points
listed
above, we
can
understand
the reason
why God the
Father has
Jesus as our
role model
and our goal
for
spiritual
maturity and
the standard
for our
character.
My friends,
we need to
monitor our
thoughts,
words and
deeds 24/7,
because God
does the
same with
each of us.
God checks
us to know
our
spiritual
maturity, on
how far
we’ve made
it to the
standard.
If we see
that we’re
not
exhibiting
the above
characteristics,
there’s
nothing to
worry about
and there’s
nothing to
amend on our
own human
ability, all
we need to
do is pray
to God,
acknowledge
our
weaknesses,
sorrowfully
repent and
ask for His
grace. My
friends, God
gives us His
grace
without
measure to
make us
spiritually
complete and
mature like
Jesus. In
fact, God
wants us to
understand
our
weakness,
acknowledge,
and ask Him
for grace.
This process
builds our
relationship
with Him. As
for our
worldly
needs (food,
shelter,
clothing,
job) He
provides
them all by
default. So
He wants us
to focus on
our
spiritual
needs which
is not the
norm in this
world.
Without
spiritual
maturity,
the natural
man lives
and dies,
and that’s
his end,
just like
animals.
Time is
running out,
my friends.
Jesus, the
standard for
character
existed
before man
was created.
God’s
business of
building His
family is
coming to a
close.
Let’s get
serious!
Let’s focus
on Jesus,
our role
model and
standard!
We need to
make it our
top-most
priority to
become God’s
children,
before it’s:
“Time’s Up!”
Love you
all,
Arthur
Joachim
Rodricks
arthur.rodricks@ovi.com