1 Chronicles 21:14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. And David said to God, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father's house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued." NKJV?
Equations on Character & Capacities
I was thinking tonight, musing if you will, about the old adage that ‘Choices determine our destiny and character determines our choices,’ and therefore as Laurel said to Hardy “Ipso Fatso, character determines destiny.”
I must say that I have always found this phrase of 'character determing destiny ' somewhat lacking in truth. After all, it was David, the man after God’s own heart, who made many good and an awful lot of bad choices in his life, even to choosing national deceit, murder and adultery. These three were but a few of his bad choices! For some of his other bad choices would result in thousands upon thousands of his fellow countrymen being killed by God Almighty Himself. King David may have been a man after God’s own heart, but some of David’s choices were not good ones and our text for tonight clearly shows that. Yes indeed, the devil might have made him do it, but do it he did! Maybe the devil stirred but David chose and his destiny was greatly tarnished in the so doing. Even the best of men sometimes choose wrongly and that with disasterous consequences for themselves and others. Tell me then, has their destiny now been destroyed?
I have come to the conclusion that although character does shape choices and choices do determine earthly destiny, that this is only part of the equation. You see we consider our destiny, as our destination this side of heaven, however, I do not believe our present destination is God’s ultimate destination for us; it is not God’s destiny for us if you will! God has an eternal and infinite destination for us, and it’s much more than position, power and place, and so because of this, this side of heaven, I believe His destination, His destiny for us, is always in the profound forging of character. There is a reason for this and I believe it is because character = capacity. The forging of our character is our destiny this side of heaven.
That however, is not enough for us, no, destiny for us this side of heaven, is a determined destination of position, power or place. Yes, it is for us a destination of goals accomplished, of feats achieved, of races that are run and fights that are won. Whatever it is, we want to stand atop our own Everest and say, “I have done it, I have finished the task given to me.” Now there is nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong at all. However, I wonder if that declaration is in the end, a simple statement of our own felt perspective. Yes, unless God definitely confirms to us otherwise, I think it often most probably is. God’s destiny for us you see, is bigger than any Everest of position place or power this side of heaven, for it is Godly character, built for ever rest. This side of heaven, all our own climbed Everest’s prove to be so very tiring and unfulfilling.Our earth side equation for the fulfillment of power place and position can be split into ten parts. Let’s take a look at the developement of our destiny equation. here we go then:
1. Meta-Genetics (building material provided by The Creator God) + Simple Genetics (building material provided by earthly parents) = Temperament. (That is, the beginnings of quality of heart, our natural constitution if you will, our mouldable and innate tendencies)2. Temperament + Social Station and Social Situation + Pressures and Pleasures = Character (The Provings, of heart quality, the expression of AQUIRED FEATURES, whether good or bad )
3. Character + Hungry Temperament (or DESIRE) (that is, our innate tendencies made hungry by want, by need, by anointing maybe or even by gifting) = Pressure of Expression
4. Pressure of Expression = Persistent Pursuance.
5. Persistent Pursuance = Made Opportunity
6. Realized Opportunity = Expression of Self
7. Expression of Self =Fulfillment
8. Fulfillment = The feeling of acquired destiny and therefore the fact of acquired destiny.
9. Acquired Destiny = Satisfaction
10. Satisfaction = Rest / Peace
It’s all very complicated isn’t it, but as many millions attest, when you get to the top of your Everest, this seeming satisfaction of completion and posession, rarely results in rest for the soul. Yes, our earth side equations of destiny all fail miserably when we arrive at the top of our not so ever rests.
Our destiny this side of heaven is simple. It is to sacrifice ourselves in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. When we serve Christ, He will mould our innate tendencies and then shall, in our pursuance of such sacrificial service, add to them great embellishments of shimmering golden traits of God-like characteristics. It is this Almighty moulding of the self, it this holy addition of golden wonders, that make CHARACTER our destiny this side of heaven. Make no mistake about it, the formation of Christ-like character this side of heaven is Gods desired destination for us all. Why?
Before I answer that question, may I say that I do not believe this formation of character, this sanctification, halts when we are transformed from earth to heaven and that once there, what is here, is sealed there forever and can never be improved upon. No, not at all! If that were the case then frankly, what a very large and sorry bunch of individuals would walk the streets of gold. Maybe the rewards and therefore the capacities of the enjoyments of God, are sealed in us at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but sealed only in their capacities for exponential growth. In other words, sealed in growth that is proportional to the starting size. I think so, maybe.
Know this tomorrow then, that God is interested in your character because therein lies the key to all future eternal capacities. Yes sir, in this context then, the answer to my opening equation is correct. Character does indeed, determine eternal Destiny. Character does indeed, determine ETERNAL Destiny.
Listen:- Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:2-9 NKJV
Pray:- Lord, add to my faith and increase my eternal capacity to enjoy You and glorify You forever. Amen.
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